REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

STATE INTERVENTION IN THE PERSONAL
AND CULTURAL LIFE OF THE BULGARIAN
TURKS DURING THE YEARS OF
COMMUNIST REGIME
Iliyana GANCHEVA 1
Abstract: After World War II, defeated Bulgaria was left in the Soviet sphere of influence and controlled
by the left coalition dominated by the Communist Party. From 1944 to 1947, the new government paid
particular attention to the Bulgarian Turks to distinguish the line of the previous cabinets and to gain the
support of this population, which in their social characteristics is a part of the social base of a left
government. After this period a drastic change began in the policy towards the Turkish population. It
was reported that tolerating and enhancing its cultural and religious characteristics led to its closure,
isolation and alienation that was dangerous for the unity of the nation and of the country. The article
presents this form of repression associated with the encroachment on cultural characteristics and
identity of Bulgarian Turks in an attempt to modernize their lifestyle by removing the external signs of
religious differences in clothing and family rituals and the emotional significance of these changes for
them. All these measures have acquired sense for the Muslims as a cultural and historical boundary
between their traditional lifestyle and the modern times.
Nowadays the Bulgarian Turks have two memories of the recent communist past - on
the one hand peace and progress, and on the other - repression, an attempt at violation of
their personal and cultural life. The article treats precisely this form of repression
associated with the encroachment on their cultural characteristics and identity in an
attempt to modernize their lifestyle by removing the external signs of religious
differences in clothing and family rituals and the emotional significance of these changes
for them. All these measures have acquired sense for the Muslims as a cultural and
historical boundary between their traditional lifestyle and the modern times. This was
well understood by the ideologists of the campaign, who saw in it the first step towards
the "taming" of these people for making them straight "builders of socialism." Significant
in this respect is a statement of Pencho Kubadinki i since 1959, who claimed that all signs
that distinguish the Muslims from the Bulgarians must be removed - religion,
circumcision, fezzes and veils, with the argument that these would be revolutionary acts
with great symbolic significance [4].
After World War II, defeated Bulgaria was left in the Soviet sphere of influence and
controlled by the left coalition dominated by the Communist Party. From 1944 to 1947,
the new government paid particular attention to the Bulgarian Turks to distinguish the
line of the previous cabinets and to gain the support of this population, which in their
social characteristics is a part of the social base of a left government [1]. The Turks are
not only the largest minority, but in some regions of the country they represent a majority
of the population. The results of the four census that were taken during 1946, 1956, 1965
and 1992, the Turks were between 8 and 10% of the population [1].
1 St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria.