A Comparative Study of Post-Ottoman Political Influences on Bulgarian National Identity Construction and Conflict

Abstract

Bulgarian society has a successful history of maintaining a relatively peaceful multicultural environment over centuries. This thesis is a comparative analysis of three transitional periods in Bulgaria coinciding with 1) the latter years of Ottoman dominion: 1762-1877, 2) the end of the Balkan Wars and World Wars I and II: 1878-1947, and 3) the latter years of the Communist dominion: 1947-1989. These periods will be analyzed with the aim to understand the role that regional political agendas have played in shaping an imagined Bulgarian national identity. It will be shown that when it has occurred, identity-based conflict in Bulgaria can be better explained by examining the contributions of nationalist political influences from 1876 - 1989 on identity construction rather than an inherent Balkan propensity to religious and ethnic intolerance. The Bulgarian case is especially relevant to understanding national identity construction in the Balkan region while holding out the possibility for various religious, linguistic, and ethnic groups to coexist peacefully in a heterogeneous environment.