MINNE OCH MANIPULATION - Centre for European Studies - Lunds ...

were actively involved in the organization of the attacks against these who dared
to conduct further critical study of the Batak phenomenon.
There is one almost absurd epilogue to the scandal around international
research about Batak. In November 2009 during a conference dedicated to the 20 th
anniversary of the fall of Communism, organized by the Institute of Study of the
Recent Past in Sofia, Ulf Brunnbauer was invited as one of the speakers. The hotel
Arena di Serdika, where the conference was held, was surrounded by
demonstrators, representatives of different political groups, who virtually besieged
the conference and did not allow Brunnbauer to leave the hotel. The police had to
intervene in order to prevent physical clashes. The slogans of “the patriots” called
for the expulsion of Brunnbauer from Bulgaria, as revenge on him and other
foreign anti-Bulgarian forces etc. Dimitar Stoyanov, deputy leader of the abovementioned
Ataka party (who had become known for his anti-Roma declarations
while he was a member of the European Parliament), forced the conference to
listen to a declaration issued by his party accusing the conference participants of
national treason.
This brief story about the most recent development in Bulgaria connected to
the attempt to initiate a public debate on controversial topics of Bulgarian history
under the Ottoman period demonstrates clearly that the present situation of
Bulgarian society as a whole prevents such an intellectual enterprise. Ideological
clichés, political zeal, hatred towards the Turks -- “the most alien neighbor” -- and
aggressive populism are much more powerful then the efforts of a handful of
historians to challenge the historical stereotypes. The whole period is marked by a
special sacredness, and leaders of national movements have been turned into
institutions, subjects of a heroic cult at the altar of the nation. It is obvious that for
Bulgarian historians is impossible to be “neutral” on issues of the period of the
Bulgarian Revival or to engage in academic discourse that would allow the people
of Bulgaria to gain mastery over nationalistic excitement. A liberal attitude cannot
win over a nationalistic mentality (Daskalov 2009:84-98)
In this process the normative, symbolic, “coded” functioning of the Ottoman
Empire in the national consciousness operates once again to designate the Ottoman
period as the most traumatic, “alien” and emotional part of Bulgarian history.
Given this background there is little surprise that the perspective of leading
Bulgarian students was the same as the one presented by marginal groups that are easily attracted by
chauvinistic propaganda or those who are activists of chauvinistic far left political parties.
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