# BALKANISTIC WORLDS > BALKANISTIC WORLDS ## Posts - [Marinela Mladenova](https://balkanistica.com/marinela-mladenova/): Marinela Mladenova is a Professor of General and Comparative Linguistics and Lecturer in Bulgarian at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. She earned her degree in Slavic Philology (Bulgarian and Czech) from Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv and holds a PhD in General and Comparative Linguistics (Contrastive Linguistics) from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. Her academic career has included faculty appointments at South-West University “Neofit Rilski,” Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria (1987–2025); Comenius University, Bratislava (1998–2002); and the University of Szeged (2007–2010). She has also delivered lectures at numerous institutions in Europe and beyond, including Masaryk University (Brno, Czech Republic), Ankara University (Turkey), Maria... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1767-2/): PRO MEMORIA: GRIGOR GRIGOROV (1969–2025) https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078561 Д-р Григор Бориславов Григоров – изследовател, преподавател и най-вече – пътешественик по дух, посветил голяма част от живота си на българския език и културното наследство, особено там, където то пулсира най-силно, сред българските общности в чужбина. Роден е на 25 септември 1969 г. в София. Средното си образование завършва в Перник, а висшето – в Югозападния университет „Неофит Рилски“, специалност Българска филология. След като защитава докторска степен по културология и спечелва конкурс за главен асистент в едноименната катедра на университета в Благоевград, той поема значима академична и културна мисия в чужбина, която го отвежда... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1760-2/): BOOK REVIEW Penka Iv. PeykovskaInstitute for Historical Studies – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences [pykvsk@yahoo.com]ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7979-3258 Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078508 THE CHALLENGES OF INTEGRATION: REFUGEES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST IN BULGARIA (2013–2019) Abstract: The monograph ‘The (Im)Possible Integration of Refugees from the Middle East in Bulgaria (2013–2019)’ presents and discusses the results of an interdisciplinary study on different aspects of the reception and integration of persons who have sought and granted international protection in Bulgaria. Particular attention is paid to: the contradictions between legislation and policy, and the assessments of a number of national and international organisations; refugees in the public discourse; public... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1749-2/): BOOK REVIEW Milena AngelovaNew Bulgarian University (Bulgaria)[mangelova74@yahoo.com]ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0208-1989 Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078508 SHADOW MODERNITIES AND THE STATE’S GREY ZONES: THREE CRIMINAL REGIMES IN BULGARIAN HISTORY (1879–1944) Abstract: This review examines Dimitar Gyudurov’s book Traders of “White Slaves,” Forgers and Smugglers in Bulgaria (1879–1944) as part of a broader research project on illicit economies and state formation in modern Bulgaria. Drawing on the concepts of “shadow modernities” and “grey zones of governance”, the review argues that Gyudurov reconceptualizes trafficking in women, forgery, and smuggling not as marginal criminal phenomena but as structural components of state rationality. By situating the Bulgarian case within international regulatory... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1746-2/): BOOK REVIEW Mariyana PiskovaSouth-West University “Neofit Rilski”, Bulgaria[piskova@gmail.com] Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078450 THE HISTORY OF CINEMA ONCE AGAIN ENCOUNTERED ITS CAPTIVATING NARRATOR Abstract: The latest book by the renowned film historian Petar Kardzhilov brings together eight independent studies on the early steps of Bulgarian cinema. The chronological scope of the narrative is limited to the period between the two World Wars, while the thematic framework covers film history from the establishment of the foundational joint-stock company Luna in 1919 to the arrival of cinema in Bulgarian villages. The official history of film institutions is interwoven and enriched with personalities and human destinies of... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1739-2/): INTERVIEW Dr. Margarita Shoylekova and Dr. Ignat Petrov in a conversation with Anelia Kassabova and Kristina Popova Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078363 „I Chose to Become a Doctor without Realizing that I would be Confronted with Human Suffering. Later – and to this Day – this has Motivated me Never to Stop Learning.” Abstract: Margarita Shoylekova (b. 1945) and Ignat Petrov (b. 1937) are a family of psychiatrists whose professional careers unfolded during a period of significant changes in psychiatric therapies. New psychiatric techniques and treatments were employed, and later abandoned, including insulin coma therapy, sleep therapy, sulfonazine therapy and other. In Bulgaria child... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1733-2/): Egvenia IvanovaNew Bulgarian University (Bulgaria)[j_lubivanova@abv.bg] Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078336 TO PLAY THE GAME OF STATE Abstract: The text examines the question of why, during the Ottoman period, certain distinctly Bulgarian villages evoked in their contemporaries a sense of “unrestricted freedom.” According to the author, the explanation lies in the privileges granted through special sultanic firmans and – above all – in the economic prosperity achieved by many of the villagers. Owing to their extensive commercial activities, they were able to travel across Europe and Asia, cultivating the self-perception of free individuals. Yet the confidence inherited from their forefathers ultimately proved insufficient for the... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1727-2/): Dali DoborjginidzeBatumi Shota Rustaveli State University (Georgia)[dali.doborjginidze@bsu.edu.ge]ORCID ID: 0000-0002-4122-4858Lela Tavdgiridze Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University (Georgia)[lela.tavdgiridze@bsu.edu.ge]ORCID ID: 0000-0001-8108-8718Anastasia MakharadzeFaculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, Sheridan College (Canada)[anastasia.mkhr43@gmail.com]ORCID ID: 0000-0002-6452-4044 Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078283 INNOVATIONS IN LANGUAGE: PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING AND TRANSLATION Abstract: The progress of Georgia as a sovereign state is closely linked to the European education system. The intercultural exchange of knowledge and educational ideas, facilitated by translation, is an important pillar of Georgia’s integration with the European education system. The accession of the Georgian educational system to the Bologna process, the irreversible aspiration of the Georgian nation towards Europe, should be accompanied... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1721-2/): Selcuk Kursad KocaSakarya University (Türkiye)[skursadkoca@sakarya.edu.tr]ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5974-7553Yavuz KoktanaSakarya University (Türkiye)[ykoktan@sakarya.edu.tr]ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0834-2377 Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078246 AN ANALYSIS OF THE SHAPE-SHIFTING MOTIF IN TURKISH TALE NARRATIVES FROM MACEDONIA Abstract: Turkish folk literature in Macedonia has taken shape since the Ottoman era, emerging as a rich oral cultural heritage through the blending of narrative traditions brought from Anatolia with local elements. Tales, legends, folk stories, and anecdotes form the core components of this narrative tradition and stand out as significant elements reflecting the region’s cultural identity. These narratives exhibit parallels with the shared Turkish narrative heritage while also incorporating motifs specific to the region.... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1716-2/): Miftar KurtiInstitute of History “Ali Hadri”, Prishtina (Kosovo)[miftarkurti@hotmail.com]ORCID: 0009-0005-0599-1944Nuri BexhetiUniversity of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina” (Kosovo)[nuri.bexheti@uni-pr.edu]ORCID: 0009-0004-1235-3521Ardita HajdariInstitute of History “Ali Hadri”, Prishtina (Kosovo)[ardita.hajdari@hotmail.com]ORCID: 0009-0002-1910-040X Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078166 PRIMARY EDUCATION IN THE PARALLEL SYSTEM OF KOSOVO (1990–1999) Abstract: Kosovo became part of the Socialist Republic of Serbia within the Yugoslav federation at the end of the Second World War in 1945. A unified curriculum was introduced across Yugoslavia by the Federal Law on Elementary and Secondary Education in 1958. The 1963 Constitution further devolved educational powers to the republics, and the 1974 Constitution elevated Kosovo to an autonomous province with its own education-making... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1713-2/): Marine AroshidzeBatumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Batumi, Georgia[marina.aroshidze@bsu.edu.ge]ORCID ID: 0000-0001-8211-8421 Nino AroshidzeBatumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Batumi, Georgia[nino.aroshidze@bsu.edu.ge]ORCID ID: 0000-0003-3358-7955 Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078130 MECHANISMS OF MANIPULATION IN THE INFORMATION SOCIETY (LINGUISTIC ASPECT) Abstract: In today’s information society, mechanisms for manipulating the mental state and behavior of individuals and the broader public are being continuously refined. Among the diverse tools of manipulation, language ‒ the power of words ‒ plays a central role. This article examines the appealing and persuasive power of words through an analysis of Putin’s speeches delivered prior to the invasion of Ukraine. Linguistic markers, which we have termed “Putinisms,” are... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1707-2/): Ilina MarinovaDepartment of Anthropology, New Bulgaria University, Sofia[ilieva.ilina@gmail.com]ORCID ID: 0009-0008-8397-6178 Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078106 INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE WITHOUT MEMORY: THE COTTON FACTORY OF VARNA BETWEEN PAST AND REDEVELOPMENT Abstract: This article examines why one of Varna’s largest pre-socialist buildings – the Cotton Factory – remains materially intact while its industrial past has largely disappeared from public memory. Drawing on site observation, archival fragments, interviews and online discussions, the study identifies a set of mechanisms through which memory erodes: fragmented sensory recollection, low occupational prestige, institutional opacity, shifting moral regimes after 1944 and 1989, urban discontinuity, spatial distancing and the emergence of neighbourhood myths. These... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1701-2/): Milena AngelovaNew Bulgarian University (Bulgaria)[mangelova74@yahoo.com] ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0208-1989 Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078073 “AN OBSTETRICIAN OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION”: THE PHYSICIAN, BIOPOWER, AND MUSLIM WOMEN IN COMMUNIST BULGARIA DURING THE 1960S Abstract: This article examines the case of Dr. Gani Ganev, a rural physician in the village of Bezvodno (Kardzhali region), whose activities in the 1960s were elevated into a propaganda model of the so-called “cultural revolution” directed at Bulgaria’s Muslim population. Drawing on Ganev’s unpublished “diary-novella” (1961–1965) preserved in the Kardzhali State Archive, the study analyses how biomedical authority, socialist modernisation, and national-communist biopolitics intersect in everyday practices of surveillance, disciplining, and assimilation.... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1694-2/): Kamelia PetkovaInstitute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences[kamelia.petkova@gmail.com] ORCID ID: 0000-0002-3108-3887 Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078031 VOICES FROM THE GHETTO: STORIES OF LONELINESS, STIGMA, AND BELONGING IN SIX BULGARIAN CITIES Abstract: This paper examines experiences of loneliness, stigma, and belonging among residents of Roma ghettoized neighborhoods in six Bulgarian cities – Lom, Dobrich, Ruse, Asenovgrad, Kyustendil, and Straldzha. The analysis is based on qualitative research methods: 36 in-depth interviews (six in each city) conducted with different members of the Roma community – men and women of various age groups, informal Roma leaders, educational and health mediators. This approach provides in-depth insights into... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1688-2/): Tamila DavitadzeBatumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Batumi, Georgia[tamila.davitadze@bsu.edu.ge]ORCID ID: 0000-0003-3486-1696Nana MazmishviliBatumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Batumi, Georgia[nana.mazmishvili@bsu.edu.ge]ORCID ID: 0009-0000-3233-2702 Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078007 PSYCHOLOGICAL PORTRAIT OF DYSTOPIAN SOCIETY IN A TOTALITARIAN ENVIRONMENT Abstract: Dystopian novels represent a hyperbole of evil and violence through the psychological portrait of humanity. Authors, while developing the principle of the supremacy of free choice, literarily mask their message and, through the example of protagonist heroes, demonstrate various methods and means intended to suppress protest. They expose the state where violent means are used to attempt to “correct” people. Often, through antagonists, they also show the relationship and confrontation... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1682-2/): Marija MartinovićPhilosophy and Slavic Studies at Sorbonne University (Paris)CEFRES, UMIFRE 13, UAR 3138 CNRS-MEAE[marija.sorbonne@yahoo.com], ORCID ID: 0009-0007-0389-7617 Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18077962 PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTIONS ON THE SOCIAL BOND IN TITO’S YUGOSLAVIA: ŽIŽEK’S CRITIQUE OF IDEOLOGICAL UNITY AND THE PRINCIPLE OF AGAPÈ Abstract: This article written as a philosophical dissertation examines the concept of social bond as a central question of collective existence, using Tito’s socialism as its historical and ideological framework. It analyzes how Yugoslav socialism sought to produce unity through the political ideal of “Brotherhood and Unity,” aiming to establish an inclusive social bond as the foundation of its social order. However, as... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1676-2/): George GotsiridzeIakob Gogebashvili Telavi State University (Georgia)Teaching-Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Humanities (Georgia)[giagotsiridze67@gmail.com], ORCID ID: 0000-0001-8151-2232 Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18077931 PAPERS OF THE STRUGGLE FOR THE STRENGTHENING THE NATIONAL IDENTITY. IN THE ARCHIVES OF GEORGIAN PUBLIC FIGURES Abstract: The article examines the struggle for the consolidation of national identity reflected in the archives of outstanding Georgian public figures of the 19th-20th centuries. The unfiltered and authentic narratives documented in personal letters and other archival material provide a clear picture of the challenges faced by a nation caught in the grips of an imperial regime and the daily efforts Georgian figures made to overcome these... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1667-2/): Claudia-Florentina Dobre“Nicolae Iorga” Institute of History, Bucharest (Romania)[cfdobre@gmail.com], ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6778-3466 Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18077879 HEGEMONIC OR MARGINAL PERSPECTIVE!? THE MANY SHADES OF NOSTALGIA IN POST-COMMUNIST ROMANIA Abstract: In Romania, communism was declared, on December 18, 2006, an ‘illegitimate and criminal regime’. From this moment on, the main paradigm of remembering communism in the public space was anticommunism. However, ordinary people seem to remember communism in a more positive tune as shown by the various polls which measure a constantly increasing appreciation for the fallen regime. The explanations for this nostalgia are various: from ‘longing for a lost past’ to a form of... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1661-2/): Vlad Mitric-CiupeCenter for Historical and Architectural Studies, Bucharest (Romania)[vlad.mitric@adproiect.ro], ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4011-9041 Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18127673 PROCEDURALIZING EVIL, PROCEDURALIZING DIGNITY: MEMORY, TRAUMA, AND POST-CONFLICT ETHICS IN A SHARED BIOGRAPHY Abstract: This article analyzes how large-scale violence in Central and Eastern Europe becomes administratively thinkable – and how dignity is later re-instituted – through a shared biography that fuses two extreme trajectories in postwar Romania: a Holocaust survivor (Nazi camps) and a former political prisoner subjected to the Pitești Reeducation and forced labor. Rather than juxtaposing sealed histories, the study traces the proceduralization of evil (lists, approvals, selection, transport) and the proceduralization of dignity... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1649-2/): Michaela WolfUniversity of Graz, Austria[michaela.wolf@uni-graz.at] Downloadhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18077806 LEBENSSPUREN – TRACES OF LIFE Abstract: The article that follows is Michaela Wolf’s introduction to the volume Visions of Historical Anthropology in Southeastern Europe. Karl Kaser – Continuing the Discussion,[1] a collection she edited as a way of carrying forward Karl Kaser’s scholarly vision and research approaches. Our sincere thanks go to LIT Verlag for kindly allowing us to reprint and translate this text. Keywords: Karl Kaser; Historical Anthropology; Black Sea region. [1] Wolf, Michaela (2024) „Lebensspuren“, in: Wolf, Michaela (ed.) Visionen Historischer Anthropologie im südöstlichen Europa. Karl Kaser – Die Diskussion weiterführen. Wien:... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1232-2/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17116588 Emil Antonov, PhD candidate Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the Bulgarian Association of Music Therapy [kanas_iuvigi@abv.bg] Traditional Medicinal Rituals from Mexico Coming to Bulgaria: The Trip of Huichol People Abstract: This paper presents in detail the visits of several Mexican Huichol (Wixárika) shamans and their apprentices to Bulgaria between 2014 and 2018. Most of these visits took place in different villages across the country in the form of gatherings (some of which the author personally observed) with Bulgarians interested in exotic spiritual practices. The Wixárika tradition thus appeared for... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1229-2/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17116565 Sławomir Łotysz, PhD Professor, Institute for the History of Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences [s.lotysz@gmail.com], ORCID: 0000-0003-4426-6401 The Fear of AIDS in Late Socialist Poland[1] Abstract: The emergence of AIDS in the early 1980s, a new deadly disease that attacked the human immune system, caused panic around the world. The fear of AIDS led to the stigmatisation of its victims and even to acts of violence against them. Much of the blame for the spread of panic lay with the media, which hysterically portrayed AIDS as the plague of the twentieth century or the wrath of God.... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1214-2/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17116539 Judit Sándor, PhD Full Professor, Central European University, Vienna – Austria [sandorj@ceu.edu], ORCID: 0000-0003-0134-4414 Mária Éva Földes, PhD Assistant Professor, Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam – the Netherlands, [foldes@eshpm.eur.nl], [foldese@ceu.edu], ORCID: 0009-0001-9181-1858 Medicalization of Death and Dying in Post-War Hungary and the Netherlands. Taboo and Transparency in Legal Thinking Abstract: Medicalization of death and dying after World War II represented a significant shift in both Eastern and Western Europe, with implications for medical law and ethics. Death and dying became subjects of medical decisions and interventions. Increasingly, death occurred in hospitals and was preceded... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1209-2/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17116523 Alexandra Barmpouti, PhD Independent researcher [alexandrabarbouti@gmail.com], ORCID: 0000-0002-0345-6295 https://oxfordbrookes.academia.edu/AlexandraBarmpouti DIY Abortion in Context (late 20th – 21st Century) Abstract: Reproductive choices are strategic life choices. The decision to continue or interrupt a pregnancy is influenced by personal lifestyle, beliefs, and values, notwithstanding social biases and politics. The choice of the method to achieve an induced abortion might be complex. The national legal context can be crucial to one’s decision-making regarding surgical or medical abortion, and in which setting. After the introduction of the abortion pills misoprostol and mifepristone, there has been a steady increase in demand for medical abortion,... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1202-2/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17116508 Ivana Dobrivojević Tomić, PhD Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Contemporary History in Belgrade – Serbia [ivanadobrivojevic@hotmail.com], ORCID: 0000-0001-5210-3288 Between Ideals and Reality: Contraception in Socialist Yugoslavia Abstract: This study examines the evolution of contraception in Yugoslavia, focusing on the state’s policies, medical perspectives, and societal attitudes toward birth control. It explores how government initiatives and prevailing cultural norms influenced the acceptance of contraceptives and identifies the factors that led to the population’s hesitancy in adopting them. It draws upon sources from the Archives of Yugoslavia, the Croatian State Archives, and the Archives of Serbia, as well as selected periodicals... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1197-2/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17116494 Ina Dimitrova, PhD Associate Professor, “Paisii Hilendarski” University of Plovdiv – Bulgaria, Faculty of Philosophy and History [ina.dimitrova@uni-plovdiv.bg], ORCID: 0000-0002-5227-915X “Everything for the Benefit of Man, Everything for the Sake of Man!”[1]: Genetic Counselling in Socialist Bulgaria Abstract: This paper examines the process of introduction and popularization of genetic counselling and prenatal diagnosis in socialist Bulgaria, and the efforts of human genetics experts to “bring these practices closer to the population”. In keeping with the preventive spirit of the socialist model of public health, these practices were declared to be forms of “prophylaxis” – a term that largely obscures... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1192-2/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17116482 Katarzyna Jarosz, PhD Assistant Professor, International University of Logistics and Transport, Wrocław – Poland [katarzynojarosz@gmail.com], ORCID: 0000-0001-5910-2165 Small Museums, Singular Figures – Curating Medical Breakthroughs in Public Exhibitions Abstract: This article investigates how three small, independent European medical museums use person-centred narratives to construct national and cultural understandings of medical innovation. Focusing on the Semmelweis Medical History Museum (Budapest), the Pharmacy Museum (Lisbon), and Livets Museum (Lund), it explores how biographical storytelling, object selection, and spatial design work together to produce emotionally engaging exhibitions that serve broader symbolic purposes. The study combines field research conducted between 2020 and 2025... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1187-2/): Slava Savova, PhD Candidate Researcher, „Medical Anthropology” Unit, Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences  [slava.savova@iefem.bas.bg], ORCID: 0009-0001-8883-3511 Re-Ottomanizing Modernity: Domesticating Balneology in Early to Mid-20th-Century Bulgaria Abstract: The decades after Bulgaria’s liberation from Ottoman rule (a continuous process beginning in 1878) were marked by the construction of a new national identity across multiple terrains: the state apparatus, political alliances, the social and cultural realms, and most visibly – the built environment. Bulgaria’s transformation during this period is described as simultaneously de-Ottomanization and Europeanisation (Lory, 2015), connoting the erasure or replacement of one system... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1182-2/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17116423 Inxhi Brisku, PhD Candidate Researcher, „Medical Anthropology” Unit, Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences [inxhi.brisku@iefem.bas.bg], ORCID: 0000-0002-9080-4808 The Dialectics of Marxism and Neo-Freudianism: Ideological Dogmatism and the Limits of Criticism in Socialist Albania Abstract: This article analyses the book Neofrojdizmi: filozofi e njeriut të tjetërsuar [Neo-Freudianism: The Philosophy of the Alienated Human] (1989) by Artan Fuga, in which Freudianism and Neo-Freudianism are criticized from the standpoint of Orthodox Marxism. By situating Fuga’s book in the political and ideological context of 1989 and comparing it to an earlier work by Viktor Riska and... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1175-2/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17116390 Tiago Pires, PhD Postdoctoral researcher, “Medical Anthropology” Unit Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences [tiago_pires@ymail.com; tiago.pires@iefem.bas.bg], ORCID: 0000-0003-2351-5165 Anthropology and Psychoanalysis in Ernesto de Martino’s Ethnopsychiatry Abstract: This paper aims to understand how Ernesto de Martino’s work became the epistemological basis of ethnopsychiatry in Italy, especially through the dialogue between anthropology and psychoanalysis. Demartinian theory can be considered as a foundation for cultural readings of subjectivity and ways of expressing and managing psychological suffering. In this article, I will analyze some of his publications regarding the mythical-ritual aspects of the Italian South... - [](https://balkanistica.com/1160-2/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17116360 Klejd Këlliçi, PhD Associate Professor University of Tirana – Albania Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Political Sciences [k.kellici@gmail.com], OCRID: 0000-0001-8877-3590 Hygiene Campaigns and State Penetration in the Sixties in Socialist Albania Abstract: This paper discusses hygiene campaigns in socialist Albania from the early 1960s up to 1970. During this period, communist authorities undertook a series of hygiene campaigns aimed at improving the living conditions of the population, especially in rural areas. These campaigns were directed by state agencies and carried out in schools, factories, and public spaces. Their principal aim was education and the prevention to health hazards,... - [Medical Pluralism Revisited(Editorial)](https://balkanistica.com/medical-pluralism-revisitededitorial/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17116299 - [Claudia-Florentina Dobre](https://balkanistica.com/claudia-florentina-dobre-2/): Claudia-Florentina Dobre, a Doctor Habilitation and Senior Researcher at the “Nicolae Iorga” Institute of History in Bucharest, earned her Ph.D. in History from Laval University in Québec in 2007. Her dissertation focused on women’s memories of political persecution during the communist era. Dobre’s research encompasses various aspects of communist memory, including museums, memorials, monuments, deportation, and daily life in Romania under communism, as well as studies on knowledge exchange and academic cultures in the Black Sea Region in the XXth century. She has published 55 academic studies, organized 11 conferences and panels and co-directed two documentaries on Bărăgan deportation. Most... - [Mihail Gruev](https://balkanistica.com/mihail-gruev/): BOOK REVIEW Mihail Gruev Bulgarian Archives State Agency [michailgruev@abv.bg] An Objective and Critical Look at Mustafa Kemal and his Era Ханиоглу, М. Шукрю (2024). Ататюрк: История на идеи. София: УИ “Св. Климент Охридски”, ISBN – 978-954-07-5981-4, 196 с. Abstract: The review presents the Bulgarian translation of the book by M. Şükrü Hanioğlu „Atatürk: An Intellectual Biography“. In his book historian M. Şükrü Hanioğlu offers a nuanced and rigorous exploration of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk not merely as a military leader or a founder of modern Turkey, but as a complex intellectual shaped by the ideological currents of his time. Rather than... - [Claudia-Florentina Dobre](https://balkanistica.com/claudia-florentina-dobre/): BOOK REVIEW Claudia-Florentina Dobre ‘Nicolae Iorga’ Institute of History, Bucharest [cfdobre@gmail.com] The Environment between Struggles and Heritage   Antoine Heemeryck, Pascale Phélinas (eds.) (2022). L’environnenement entre luttes et patrimoine, Paris: L’Harmattan, ISBN-10. 2343254400, 271 p. Abstract: The review presents the edited volume “L’environnenement entre luttes et patrimoine”. This book explores the complex and often conflicting relationship between environmental struggles and heritage-making practices. Bringing together case studies from diverse geographic and cultural contexts, the book examines how environmental issues become sites of contestation, negotiation, and identity formation. It highlights how communities, activists, and institutions navigate the tensions between ecological preservation, cultural values,... - [Vladimir Janev, Dragan Zajkovski](https://balkanistica.com/vladimir-janev-dragan-zajkovski/): Vladimir Janev Institute of National History in Skopje [janev_vlatko@yahoo.com] Dragan Zajkovski Institute of National History in Skopje [dzajkovski@gmail.com] The “New Wave” in Yugoslav Rock and Roll in the 1980s (Musical Creation within Totalitarian Frameworks) Abstract: In the last decade of communist Yugoslavia’s existence, the totalitarian system gradually lost its power, retreating to nationalism. On the Yugoslav music scene, the “New Wave” brought different rock formats (punk, goth, darkwave, industrial). The paper is showing examples of the rock bands from Belgrade, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Sarajevo and Skopje. The lyrics of the songs anticipate the collapse of ideology and of Yugoslavia as a... - [Eka Vardoshvili](https://balkanistica.com/eka-vardoshvili/): Eka Vardoshvili Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University [eka.vardoshvili@tsu.ge], ORCID: 0000-0003-3107-753X Faces of Women Victims of Inequality in the Prose of Alexander Kazbegi Abstract: The article discusses how the faces of women victims of inequality and the process of their evolution are reflected in the works of Alexander Kazbegi. The issue of women’s inequality has been introduced into Georgian literature since the 1860s. It is directly related to the establishment of realism. Initially, the faces of rightless, unequal women are obscure, because the female characters with other functions and destinations dominate next to them, but over time these faces become stronger... - [İlhan Aslan](https://balkanistica.com/ilhan-aslan/): İlhan Aslan Erciyes University, Kayseri, Türkiye [ilhanaslan@erciyes.edu.tr], ORCID: 0000-0002-8838-244X Byzantine-Pecheneg Conflicts in the Balkans Abstract: Pechenegs, a Turkic tribe, entered Byzantine territory in 944 as auxiliary troops of Prince Igor of Kiev. For a time, they maintained contact with Byzantium as mercenaries of the Rus. Later, relations between the Pechenegs and the Rus princes worsened. Pechenegs then began to raid Byzantine lands on their own. Since the 1030s, the Cumans had become active near the Don River. Their pressure forced the Pechenegs to move into Byzantine lands in the Balkans. As a nomadic people, Pechenegs lived by raiding and plundering.... - [Bekim Sele, Durim Kryеziu](https://balkanistica.com/bekim-sele-durim-kryziu/): Bekim Sele University of Prishtina [bekim.sele@uni-pr.edu] Durim Kryеziu University of Prishtina [durim.kryeziu@uni-pr.edu] Documentary Films Produced by Kosovafilm (1975‒2003) Abstract: The origins of cinematography in Kosovo are marked by the establishment of “Kosovafilm” in 1969. Operating independently and in co-production with various film studios from the former Yugoslavia, Kosovafilm produced a range of artistic, documentary, and cartoon films. This film production house was the only cinematic entity that, during a certain period, represented Albanian culture in Kosovo, both within its borders and beyond. Over the course of its activity, it produced and distributed numerous films across various genres, some of which... - [Neda-Maria Panayotova](https://balkanistica.com/neda-maria-panayotova/): Neda-Maria Panayotova Sofia University St. Kl. Ohridski [nedamimi1@gmail.com] Freedom and Identity in Guy Gavriel Kay’s Novel Tigana Abstract: The article examines the ideas of freedom and identity in the novel “Tigana,” which is dedicated to the problem of human choice and free will. Freedom and the pursuit of one’s identity are seen in the story as an indispensable part of man’s quest for memory. The book is an epic fantasy that touches on postcolonial issues as it tries to present the voices of forcibly exiled people, the struggle for the return to the roots, to heritage, and language used as... - [Antony Hoyte-West](https://balkanistica.com/antony-hoyte-west/): Antony Hoyte-West Independent scholar, United Kingdom [antony.hoyte.west@gmail.com], ORCID: 0000-0003-4410-6520 Languages, Language Choice, and Multilingualism in Pajtim Statovci’s Novel Bolla Abstract: Works by the Finnish author of Kosovar origin, Pajtim Statovci, have become increasingly well-known over the last decade. The present study concerns his third novel, Bolla, originally published in Finland in 2019 and translated into English in 2021. It deals with the illicit love affair between Arsim, an ethnic Albanian, and Miloš, an ethnic Serb, in mid-1990s Pristina. Like Statovci’s previous works, the novel deals with weighty topics including war, violence, and ethnic strife, as well as questions of identity,... - [Maya Angelova](https://balkanistica.com/maya-angelova/): Maya Angelova New Bulgarian University [maiangelova@abv.bg], ORCID: 0000-0002-5973-3212 Outsiders and Runaways around 1965: Approaches to the Problem in the Context of Bulgarian Literature and Culture Abstract: The article analyses the figure of the outsider within the cultural and literary context of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria in the year 1965, tracing the mechanisms through which the socialist system shaped, regulated, and selectively admitted representations of social marginality within the boundaries sanctioned by ideology. The study encompasses both comparative readings of foreign literary and cinematic examples and close analyses of Bulgarian texts, seeking to understand how difference was represented, managed, and... - [Cem Yılmaz Budan](https://balkanistica.com/cem-yilmaz-budan/): Cem Yılmaz Budan Kocaeli University, İzmit [cemyilmazbudan@gmail.com] Künstlerroman in Turkısh Lıterature and an Orıgınal Work of The Genre: Nahid Sırrı’s Novel “Yıldız Olmak Kolay Mı?” Abstract: The künstlerroman, which can be defined as a narrative form that deals with the problematic existence of the artistic subject and the journey of the artist’s pursuit to direct the process of artistic development, is a genre shaped within the circle of German literature, but over time it has begun to find representation in the literary traditions of different nations. The transition of the Künstlerroman genre into contemporary Turkish literature coincides with its first... - [Maria Mateoniu Micu](https://balkanistica.com/maria-mateoniu-micu/): Maria Mateoniu Micu The National Romanian Peasant Museum [mariamateoniu@gmail.com] The Relationship between Orthodoxy and Politics in Dictatorship and Democracy The Exemplary Case of Saint Nicholas Monastery (Romania) Abstract: The aim of this article is to investigate the relationship between orthodoxy and politics in dictatorship and democracy analyzing in the case study of Saint-Nicolas Monastery (Romania), the place we have carried our field etnlogical research. Mostly coming from rural areas, but choosing an ascetic life by their own free will, the nuns of the monastery does not hesitate to assert a double identity: peasant and orthodox. Family and Orthodoxy shall be... - [Sercan Eklemezler, Selda Adiloğlu](https://balkanistica.com/sercan-eklemezler-selda-adiloglu/): Sercan Eklemezler Bursa Technical University, Turkey [sercan.eklemezler@btu.edu.tr], ORCID: 0000-0003-3198-8413 Selda Adiloğlu Bursa Technical University, Turkey [selda.adiloglu@btu.edu.tr], ORCID: 0000-0002-9725-436X From Minority to Immigrant: The Education and Cross-Country Teaching Experiences of Turks of Bulgaria Abstract: Through the testimonies of those who have experienced teaching in two countries with different political and economic systems, the study aims to provide a portrayal of issues such as minority education, the transfer of origin capital, and the similarities and differences in the educational practices of the countries. This study delves into the experiences of four teachers who worked in two distinct countries, the communist People’s Republic... - [Svitlana Кryvoruchko](https://balkanistica.com/svitlana-%d0%baryvoruchko/): Svitlana Кryvoruchko Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University [serka7@ukr.net]; ORCID: 0000-0002-1123-9258 Reflections on the Archetype of Home in the Feature Film “Homeward” Abstract: The grief and the pain of the Crimean Tatar people is reflected in art (cinema). It is necessary to find out how the tragic fate of the Crimean Tatars was conveyed by poetic means and creative techniques. The recipient (viewer) should perceive the message of the movie’s artists (director Nariman Aliyev) “Homeward” (2019) as a tragedy of a discriminated people. It is useful to determine the fact of discrimination of the Crimean Tatars in the course of history.... - [Nana Kajaia, Asmat Ardzenadze](https://balkanistica.com/nana-kajaia-asmat-ardzenadze/): Nana Kajaia Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Georgia [nana.kajaia@bsu.edu.ge], ORCID: 0009-0002-1102-9039 Asmat Ardzenadze Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Georgia [asmat.ardzenadze@bsu.edu.ge], ORCID: 0009-0009-5905-2298 Muslim Women of Ajara: Certain Aspects of Their Sociocultural and Sociolinguistic Portrait Abstract: The present paper deals with the distinctive aspects of the assimilation process experienced by Muslim women in Ajara while adjusting to new forms of life, which were expressed in sociocultural and sociolinguistic dimensions. The subject of the research is the period between 1920s‒1930s distinguished by the establishment of Soviet power in the region of Ajara, which initiated a series of assimilation-driven yet contradictory processes. While... - [Jumber Vardmanidze](https://balkanistica.com/jumber-vardmanidze/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15619460 Jumber Vardmanidze Batumi State Maritime Academy, Georgia [j.vardmanidze@bsma.edu.ge] Conformity and Consensus in Southwestern Georgia after the Establishment of Russian Imperial Authority: the Role of the Russian Empire in the Resettlement of the Local Population (Muhajirism) Abstract: The political history of the Caucasus is marked by enduring complexity and multifaceted contestation, driven by the region’s pivotal position at the crossroads of empires. Over centuries, control oscillated between indigenous polities and successive imperial powers, engendering shifting allegiances and recurrent conflict. During the Russian Empire’s 19th‑century expansion into southwestern Georgia, these dynamics intensified, compelling local communities to choose between acquiescence to imperial... - [Mariyana Piskova](https://balkanistica.com/mariyana-piskova/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15619325 Mariyana Piskova South-West University „Neofit Rilski“, Blagoevgrad [piskova@gmail.com] Muslims in the ‘Lens’ of Photo Propaganda, 1950s – 1980s in the 20th Century Abstract: The article seeks to answer the question of what photographic representations of Muslims were left behind by the photo propaganda institution in Bulgaria during the communist regime from the 1950s to the 1980s. What do the original negatives show and what do the specially selected positive prints for thematic albums hide? For the first time, photographs from the emigration of Muslims in the 1950s, preserved in the Central State Archive, are published. Keywords: photo propaganda; Muslims;... - [Salih Borovin](https://balkanistica.com/salih-borovin/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15619273 Salih Borovin New Bulgarian University [sborovin@nbu.bg] Memories in the Present: The Post-Memory of Assimilationist Policies Toward Muslims in Bulgaria (1960s–1970s) Abstract: This article explores how memories of the assimilationist policies targeting Muslim communities in Bulgaria during the 1960s and 1970s are transmitted across generations. Drawing on the concept of “post-memory,” the research examines the ways in which the children and grandchildren of those affected by these policies engage with the traumatic past ‒ through stories, silences, cultural practices, and acts of remembrance. It investigates the lingering presence of state-imposed identity erasure and its emotional, social, and cultural afterlives in... - [Yelis Erolova](https://balkanistica.com/yelis-erolova/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15619147 Yelis Erolova Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum at Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IEFSEM – BAS) [yeliserolova@gmail.com], ORCID: 0000-0002-3578-9852 The Spontaneous and Forced Assimilation of the Turkish Women in Urban and Rural Environment during the Socialist Period in Bulgaria (Examples from the Svishtov Region) Abstract: During the totalitarian communist regime (1944–1989) in Bulgaria, inconsistent policies of displacement, targeted integration, forced and coercive assimilation were implemented to reduce the size of the Muslim communities in the country.  Their renaming in 1984/1985, called „Revival Process“ by the state authorities, was a continuation and final stage that ended in the... - [Georgeta Nazаrska](https://balkanistica.com/georgeta-naz%d0%b0rska/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15619112 Georgeta Nazаrska University of Library Studies and Information Technologies, Sofia [g.nazarska@unibit.bg], ORCID: 0000-0002-6448-3692 Muslim Women under the ‘Care’ of the State Women’s Organizations in Bulgaria (1950s‒1980s) Abstract: The article examines the policies towards ethno-religious communities led by the totalitarian state in communist Bulgaria in the 1950s-1980s. Specifically, the work of the state women’s organizations (the Women’s Department of the Fatherland Front and the Committee of the Bulgarian Women’s Movement) for the ‘cultural elevation’ of Muslim women in the country (Turkish, Bulgarian Muslim and Roma women) is studied. Based on archival documentation originating from the structures of the women’s movement,... - [Tamila Davitadze, Nana Mazmishvili](https://balkanistica.com/tamila-davitadze/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15619077 Tamila Davitadze Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Batumi, Georgia [tamila.davitadze@bsu.edu.ge]   Nana Mazmishvili Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Batumi, Georgia [nana.mazmishvili@bsu.edu.ge]   Religion and Women in Adjara    Abstract: The attitude of Islam towards women’s issues is not at all uniform. Two tendencies can be observed in it: the first, reactionary or conservative, which implies the aspiration that women’s emancipation be limited to the framework of Islam, the second ‒ radical, which tries to prove that the liberation of women in the Muslim world, the improvement of their socio-economic conditions, their inclusion in public and political life, do not... - [Ketevan Svanidze, Shorena Bolkvadze](https://balkanistica.com/ketevan-svanidze-shorena-bolkvadze/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15619056 Ketevan Svanidze Shota Rustaveli State University, Georgia [ketevan.svanidze@bsu.edu.ge] Shorena Bolkvadze Shota Rustaveli State University, Georgia [shorena.bolkvadze@gmail.com] Woman and Postcolonial Trauma Abstract: This article explores contemporary Georgian memoir literature as a powerful medium for representing postcolonial trauma through women’s perspectives. Focusing on works from the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it examines how personal and collective memory intertwine to narrate the legacy of Soviet rule and the challenges of navigating post-imperial transitions. Women’s memoirs document experiences of marginalization, violence, loss, and survival, while simultaneously constructing spaces for agency, reflection, and cultural resistance. The analysis highlights how female authors position... - [Oana-Ramona Ilovan, Claudia-Florentina Dobre, Vasile Zotic](https://balkanistica.com/oana-ramona-ilovan-claudia-florentina-dobre-vasile-zotic/): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15629138 Oana-Ramona Ilovan Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania [oana.ilovan@ubbcluj.ro]; ORCID: 0000-0003-2075-1808 Claudia-Florentina Dobre Institute of History, Bucharest, Romania [cfdobre@gmail.com]; ORCID: 0000-0001-6778-3466 Vasile Zotic Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania [vasile.zotic@ubbcluj.ro]; ORCID: 0000-0002-4489-0637 The Traumascapes of Bărăgan and Siberia: Identity, Place Attachment and Resilience in the Deportees’ Life Stories   Abstract: In this article, we examine the relationship between traumatic memory, identity and place attachment through two case studies of deportation: from North Bukovina to the Soviet Union (in 1941) and from Banat and Western Oltenia to Bărăgan region of Romania (in 1951). Starting in the 1990s and continuing to present, the cultural trauma... - [CALL FOR PAPERS](https://balkanistica.com/call-for-papers/): BALKANSTIC WORLDS, 2026, Volume 1 INCLUSION, ISOLATION, AND LONELINESS • Hegemony and Marginalization • Ideology and Utopia • Degrees of Segregation and Rejection • Inclusion and Assimilation • Gender, Loneliness, Silence • Noise and (Im)possible Communications • Totalitarian Societies and Places of Isolation • Communities and Places of Storytelling   E-mail: bforum1992@gmail.com Deadline for submission of the texts: 20 October 2025   BALKANSTIC WORLDS, 2026, Volume 2 GENERATIONS – MEMORY, DIALOGUE, CONFLICT • Growing old in the Balkans – creativity and despair • Lost generations and their hopes • The generational revolts • Repressed memory – women and minorities •... - [2025, Volume I, Issue 1](https://balkanistica.com/2025-volume-i-issue-1/): BALKANISTIC WORLDS Volume I • Issue 1 • January 2025 ISSN 3033-134X (Print) ISSN 3033-1358 (Online) CULTURAL HERITAGE AND AUTHENTICITY Editors: Marinela Mladenova and Milena Angelova CONTENTS ARTICLES  Zaur Hasanov Relationships between the Roman Empire, Caucasian Albania and Sarmatians / 9-37 Dragi Ǵorgiev Ottoman Heritage in Balkans and Nationalism / 38-47 Srđan M Jovanović Zakonik Danila Prvog and Religious Identity: Orthodox Christianity in Montenegrin Legal Thought / 48-68 Uğur Durmaz Reading the Shaping Effects of Myths on Society Around the Concept of Social Engineering: The Case of Altai Creation Myth / 69-89 Lenka J. Budilová, Marek Jakoubek Geographies of Sharing and the East/West Divide in Europe. The... - [Statement of Peer Review Policies](https://balkanistica.com/statement-of-peer-review-policies/): The BALKANISTIC WORLD journal accepts for publication only manuscripts that have not been previously published or submitted to another journal. Editors’ Responsibilities § 1. The editors are responsible for ensuring that a) the quality of the journal is maintained at a high scientific level; b) freedom of opinion is preserved; c) there is no scientific misconduct; d) no inappropriate economic or other factors influence the content of the journal; e) corrections, amendments, retractions and apologies are printed, if necessary; Submitted manuscripts that have passed the preliminary review are scanned for plagiarism software strikeplagiarism.com. After checking for plagiarism, eligible manuscripts are... - [Petar Vodenicharov](https://balkanistica.com/petar-vodenicharov/): South-West University, Bulgaria, e-mail: peter_acad@yahoo.com Assoc. Prof. Dr. Petar Vodenicharov holds a PhD in General and Comparative Linguistics, with a dissertation titled “The Rhythmic Organization of the Gotse Delchev Dialect” (1994). He began his academic career as an assistant professor (1985), became a senior assistant (1990), and was promoted to associate professor (2001) at South-West University “Neofit Rilski” in Blagoevgrad with the habilitation theses ‘ Language, gender and power’ (1999), Нe lectures on ethnolinguistics, sociolinguistics, and psycholinguistics. He served as a visiting lecturer in Bulgarian language and culture for foreigners at the American University in Bulgaria (1991–1994), and later taught... - [Zlatka Gerginova](https://balkanistica.com/zlatka-gerginova/): Zlatka Gerginova South-West University „Neofit Rilski“, Blagoevgrad    [gerginova@law.swu.bg] Traum namens Hermann Hesse Mihaela Zaharia (Hrsg.). Rudolf Hollinger: Briefe an Hermann Hesse, Ars Longa, Iaşi, 2023, 175 p., ISBN 978-973-148-427-3 Abstract: The Banat-Romanian German Rudolf Hollinger wrote twelve letters to Herman Hesse during the 1957-1960 period. The Nobel laureate for literature sent to the longtime teacher of German literature at the University in Timisoara several post cards and gifted him several collections of his new poems. For everyone interested, the professor Mihaela Zaharia of the University of Bucharest collected the correspondence between them and published the letters in four languages:... - [Boryan Yanev](https://balkanistica.com/380-2/): Boryan Yanev Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria [byanev@uni-plovdiv.bg] An Insightful Volume on Bulgarian Studies Sigrun Comati, Martin Henzelmann, Raiko Krauss and Helmut Schaller (eds.): Bulgarica, Volume 6. Munich: AVM, 2024, 200 pages. ISBN 978-3-95477-176-9. Abstract: This is a review on the recent volume number 6 of ‘Bulgarica’, a book series that is published once a year. International experts contribute to this volume, and thus, it is an important book that provides new insights into Bulgarian studies. Keywords: ‘Bulgarica’; serial publication; Linguistics; Cultural Studies; Bulgarian Studies; Bulgaria; book reviews. References Börger, G., (2015). Höflichkeitsformen in bulgarischen, deutschen und russischen Zaubermärchen.... - [Nadezhda Stalyanova](https://balkanistica.com/nadezhda-stalyanova/): Nadezhda Stalyanova Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski [nadezhda_stalyanova@slav.uni-sofia.bg] ORCID ID:0000-0002-8271-0078 The Life and Work of Dr. Albert Long in the Context of the Bulgarian Revival Pileva. M. (2023). Misiyata na d-r Albart Long sred balgarite. Izdatelski tsentar „Boyan Penev“, 2023 Пилева Мария. Мисията на д-р Албърт Лонг сред българите. София 2023. Издателски център „Боян Пенев“, ISBN 978-619-7372-69-4, 544 с. Abstract: The monograph aims at the systematization and study of the preserved literary and written heritage of Dr. Albert Long. Separate chapters present his literary activities, an analysis of his conceptions of language, the reception of his translations and other writings,... - [Spasimir Domaradzki](https://balkanistica.com/spasimir-domaradzki/): Spasimir Domaradzki University of Warsaw, Poland [s.domaradzki2@uw.edu.pl], https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5794-6532 Hristo Berov Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” [berov@uni-sofia.bg], WSR  ID: AAQ-4232-2020 The Three Seas Initiative in Bulgaria’s Public Discourse Abstract: The “Three Seas” initiative is a relatively new attempt for closer integration and cooperation in the energy, transport and economic sectors of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe within the European Union. This type of cooperation aims to increase the competitiveness and connectivity of the involved countries, which in turn will strengthen the EU’s resilience. Whereas, Bulgaria is a part of this initiative from its inception, there is little public debate... - [Plamena Popova](https://balkanistica.com/plamena-popova/): Plamena Popova European University Institute, Florence, Italy [plamena.popova@eui.eu] Author Rights on Architectural works in the context of Cultural Processes. Concept on the balance of interests Abstract: The paper aims to explore the interception between authors rights (copyrights) and cultural processes, focused in Architecture and especially in Modern Architecture. It is presented in the prism of the concept on the balance of interests in relation to Architecture/ Architectural Works: authors (individual) interests – owners (individual) interests – public interests. The collision between the interests of the author’s and owner’s interests over a certain Architectural Works is often related to its cultural... - [Vjollca Dibra](https://balkanistica.com/vjollca-dibra/): Vjollca Dibra University “Ukshin Hoti” Prizren, Kosovo   [vjollca.dibra@uni-prizren.com] Challenging Social Norms: Women as Symbols of Prejudice and Stereotypes in World Literature (A Comparative Study) Abstract: Throughout the history of world literature, numerous authors have centered their works on female protagonists, presenting them not only as individuals but also as symbols shaped by societal expectations, prejudice, and stereotypes. From the cunning Sheherazade of „1001 Nights“, to Flaubert’s conflicted Emma Bovary, Tolstoy’s tragic Anna Karenina, and Zola’s ambitious Nana, female characters have long been used to explore complex societal dynamics. Even those who were not central figures – such as Homer’s faithful... - [Petya Vasileva – Grueva](https://balkanistica.com/petya-vasileva-grueva/): Petya Vasileva – Grueva Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” [p.grueva@abv.bg] Renegotiation of Inheritance between Generations – Traditions and Holidays in the Village of Ribnovo, Garmen Municipality Abstract: In recent years, the village of Ribnovo, municipality Garmen, has been permanently in the media and research spotlight because of the interest in its preserved traditions, which are presented as a cultural treasure and an integral part of the identity politics of the Muslim community. Their public presentation, among other positives, supports the optimization of social relations between people and social cohesion between generations, which is important for the modern sustainable development of... - [Milena Angelova](https://balkanistica.com/milena-angelova/): Milena Angelova New Bulgarian University [mangelova74@yahoo.com] Soviet Directing, Bulgarian Plot: Film “Bulgaria” (1946) between Propaganda and Documentary Abstract: Creating the Eastern Bloc in the postwar era entailed an intricate process which included the transformation and adjustment of Soviet institutions and politics in the countries with new communist regimes. This article presents and analyzes the first Soviet-Bulgarian documentary about Bulgaria. In 1946 Bulgarian and Soviet cinematographers started working on the first joint film production, the documentary “Earth, Culture and Life of the Bulgarian People”. The final title of the film remained only “Bulgaria”. This film was the first Soviet lesson in... - [Vladislav Milanov](https://balkanistica.com/vladislav-milanov/): Vladislav Milanov Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski“ [vladislavmilanov77@abv.bg] The Language of Archives in Landmark Court Cases Against Bulgarian Writers Abstract: The language of archives has been scarcely studied in Bulgarian linguistics. Therefore, this article aims to explore and analyze archival documents related to the judicial proceedings against two prominent Bulgarian intellectuals and writers – Geo Milev and Peyo Yavorov. The focus of the scholarly analysis is Geo Milev’s impassioned defense addressed to the District Court, in which his professional legal knowledge intertwines expertly with his keen sensitivity to the power of words in literary texts and their function as a... - [Magdalena Kostova-Panayotova](https://balkanistica.com/magdalena-kostova-panayotova/): Magdalena Kostova–Panayotova Sofia University “Saint Kliment Ohridski”, Bulgaria [mpanayotova@diuu.uni–sofia.bg] The Imagined Memory/Invented History Abstract: Rushdie’s first essay, in his book Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981-1991, published four years before The Moor’s Last Breath, seems to me very important to the understanding of this novel. In this Rushdie essay, exiled writers are seen as haunted by a sense of loss, but the homeland is always imagined, the view of it, a view through broken mirrors. However, they are not simply mirrors of nostalgia, but “a useful tool with which to work in the present…we are not gods, but wounded beings,... - [Andrii Ozhohan](https://balkanistica.com/andrii-ozhohan/): Andrii Ozhohan National University “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”, Ukraine [lingnlinguistic@gmail.com] Viacheslav Kalinichenko Municipal Establishment “Kharkiv Humanitarian Pedagogical  Academy”, Kharkiv Regional Council, Ukraine [kalinichenko_viacheslav23@ukr.net] Petro Kostyuchok Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Ukraine [petro9.Kostyuchok@pnu.edu.ua] Liubomyra Aizenbart Drohobych State Pedagogical University named after Ivan Franko, Ukraine [liubomyra15.ayzen@ukr.net] Liliia Shcherbin Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Ukraine [lilia1.scherbin@pnu.edu.ua] The Impact of Extralingual Factors on the Language Situation of Modern Ukraine Abstract: The aim of the research is to study the impact of extralingual factors on the current language situation of Ukraine in the context of the dehumanization and cosmopolitanization of the modern globalized world. The research employed... - [Natalia Surguladze](https://balkanistica.com/natalia-surguladze/): Natalia Surguladze Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Georgia [natalia.surguladze@bsu.edu.ge], http://orcid.org/0000‐0002‐6868‐5398 Irine Goshkheteliani Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Georgia [irine.goshkheteliani@bsu.edu.ge], http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8879-640X Sophio Kakhidze Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Georgia [kakhidze_sophie@yahoo.fr], http://orcid.org/0009-0006-6859-8266 French, English, and Georgian National and Cultural Heritage Reflected in Idioms Abstract: This paper explores the national and cultural heritage embedded in French, English, and Georgian idiomatic expressions, examining how language reflects cultural values, beliefs, and stereotypes associated with different nations and regions. Figurative expressions, such as idioms, proverbs, metaphors, and similes, often encapsulate elements specific to a particular culture or society. Analyzing these expressions provides valuable insights into a... - [Andreana Eftimova](https://balkanistica.com/andreana-eftimova/): Andreana Eftimova Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” [a.eftimova@uni-sofia.bg] Linguistic Technologies in Branding: Artistic Variations at the Biennale Arte in Venice 2024 Abstract: The research aims to establish the role of language in the branding of national, transnational and regional identities in the works of art selected for the Venice Biennale 2024. The analysis shows that the notion of language as a unifying concept of national identity is greatly shaken. The use of text in works of art shows the clash and destruction of traditional values and identities. In most national pavilions and individual participants, the theme is the return to... - [Srđan M Jovanović](https://balkanistica.com/srdan-m-jovanovic/): Srđan M Jovanović Nankai University, Tianjin, China [smjovanovic@nankai.edu.cn] Zakonik Danila Prvog and Religious Identity: Orthodox Christianity in Montenegrin Legal Thought Abstract: This article explores the Zakonik Danila Prvog (Code of Danilo I) as a foundational legal document that shaped Montenegrin governance and national identity by integrating Orthodox Christian values into the state’s legal framework. Established in 1855, the Zakonik reflected the influence of Orthodox Christianity on justice, morality, and public life, while also serving as a tool for asserting Montenegrin sovereignty against Ottoman and Catholic influences. The analysis investigates the deep interconnection between law, religion, and national identity, comparing the... - [Antony Hoyte-West](https://balkanistica.com/250-2/): Antony Hoyte-West Independent scholar, United Kingdom [antony.hoyte.west@gmail.com], Monuments and Landmarks in Decolonisation and Decommunization Processes: A Comparison of Romania and Bulgaria with Trinidad & Tobago Abstract: In the light of the presence of ongoing debates and discussions on the legacies of colonisation and/or communism, this article presents a comparative desk-based qualitative overview of approaches regarding relevant monuments and landmarks in three selected countries – the Caribbean nation of Trinidad & Tobago, and the two southeastern European nations of Romania and Bulgaria. After giving a succinct summary of the historical aspects and sociocultural composition of the three countries, the study then... - [Lenka J. Budilová](https://balkanistica.com/lenka-j-budilova/): Lenka J. Budilová Charles University, Prague [lenka.jakoubkovabudilova@fhs.cuni.cz] https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4311-6359 Marek Jakoubek University of Pardubice [marek.jakoubek@upce.cz] https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7235-5327 Geographies of sharing and the East/West divide in Europe. The case of HomeExchange Abstract: Sharing economy supposed to be a current global, or at least Western, phenomenon, running across geographic, nation or culture borders. In the globalized world, everybody with the access to the Internet can participate in sharing economy platforms. This article shows that this is not the case even within the West, more specifically Europe. The text argues that the participation in the hospitality platforms follow old political, geographical and culture borderlines in... - [Uğur Durmaz](https://balkanistica.com/ugur-durmaz/): Uğur Durmaz Kocaeli University, Türkiye [ugur.durmaz@kocaeli.edu.tr] Reading the Shaping Effects of Myths on Society Around the Concept of Social Engineering: The Case of Altai Creation Myth Abstract: In this article, the Altai Creation Myth compiled by Wilhelm Radloff will be analyzed around the concept of social engineering used in social sciences. The aforementioned text was preferred because it is widely known and contains a wide process. In the light of the expressions in the myth text, it will be discussed whether the creators of this structure had any attempt to direct or shape the society. In the light of questions... - [Zaur Hasanov](https://balkanistica.com/zaur-hasanov/): Zaur Hasanov Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences [zaurmail@gmail.com], ORCHID ID: 0009-0008-5674-9818 Relationships between the Roman Empire, Caucasian Albania and Sarmatians Abstract: Classical written sources describe the trade relations between Caucasian Albania and other regions of the South Caucasus with Black Sea region, as well as Latin epigraphic monument found in Gobustan (Azerbaijan), pointing to the military campaigns of the Roman Empire in this region. Some researchers believe that the legion was sent here to campaign against the Sarmatians. Greek epigraphy devoted to a man named Eunon on a stone slab dated to the... - [Dragi Ǵorgiev](https://balkanistica.com/227-2/): Dragi Ǵorgiev Institute of National History, Skopje [gjorgiev.dragi@yahoo.com] Ottoman Heritage in Balkans and Nationalism Abstract: The ethno-centric study of the Ottoman past after the establishment of the national Christian countries on the Balkan causes many negative stereotypes. Today the cultural and historical heritage from that period is still followed with the negative perception which affects the every-day life of the people living on the Balkan. The aim of this text is to show that for the Macedonian state the Ottoman heritage still represents a serious disability, which can not be fully absorbed and integrated in the contemporary Macedonian society. This... ## Pages - [2025, Volume I, Issue 3](https://balkanistica.com/2025-volume-i-issue-3/):   BALKANISTIC WORLDS Volume I • Issue 3 • September 2025 ISSN 3033-134X (Print) ISSN 3033-1358 (Online) https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17127115 NEGOTIATING TRADITION AND INNOVATION: Medical Pluralism and Healthcare Transformations in the 20th and 21st Centuries Editors: Anelia Kassabova, Denitsa Nencheva and Jakub Střelec CONTENTS     Anelia Kassabova, Denitsa Nencheva, Jakub Střelec MEDICAL PLURALISM REVISITED (Editorial) 9     ARTICLES      NEGOTIATING MODERNITY: STATE MEDICINE AND LOCAL KNOWLEDGE     Klejd KëlliçiHygiene Campaigns and State Penetration in the Sixties in Socialist Albania 18 Tiago Pires Anthropology and Psychoanalysis in Ernesto de Martino’s Ethnopsychiatry 37 Inxhi BriskuThe Dialectics of Marxism and Neo-Freudianism: Ideological Dogmatism and the... - [Journal Insights](https://balkanistica.com/journal-insights/): ISSN: Print ISSN: 3033-134X, Online ISSN:3033-1358 SUBJECT AREAS: Balkan Studies, Caucasian Studies, Anthropology, Political and Social History, Literature, Sociolinguistics, Archival Studies, Gender Studies, Minority Studies.   ARTICLE PUBLISHING OPTIONS: Open Access The journal does not charge any fees to authors FUNDING: From the Institutions, partners, projects and donations FREQUENCY:  3 issues per year ABSTRACTING AND INDEXING: Central and Eastern European Online Library, ERIH PLUS, Google Scholar,  Index Copernicus, Slavic Humanities Index, National Center for Information and Documentation National repository Bulgarian Portal for Open Science The journal is published by Balkanistic Forum – International University Seminar for Studies and Specializations - [Journal’s open access statement](https://balkanistica.com/journals-open-access-statement/): Balkanistic Worlds publishes fully open access (OA) journals, which means that all articles are available on the internet to all users immediately upon publication. Non-commercial use and distribution in any medium is permitted, provided the author and the journal are properly credited. Open access articles are published under a Creative Commons license. Moving from “All rights reserved” to “Some rights reserved”, Creative Commons helps authors legally share their knowledge and creativity to build a more equitable, accessible, and innovative world. Under CC license, the author always retains the copyright of the works.  - [Aims & Scope](https://balkanistica.com/aims-scope/): BALKANISTIC WORLDS is an interdisciplinary academic journal dedicated to the study of the Balkans and the Black Sea region in their historical, cultural, linguistic, and social dimensions. It brings together scholars from diverse disciplines — including history, sociology, literature, anthropology, linguistics, and cultural studies — who explore the region within both European and broader global contexts. The Editorial Board consists of distinguished academics from Bulgaria, Austria, Romania, Turkey, the United States, Serbia, France, the Czech Republic, Canada, Azerbaijan, Greece, and Georgia. The journal provides an open forum for scholarly dialogue, encouraging critical engagement with contemporary and historical issues that shape... - [2025, Volume I, issue 2](https://balkanistica.com/2025-volume-i-issue-2/):     BALKANISTIC WORLDS  Volume I • Issue 2 • June 2025  ISSN 3033-134X (Print) ISSN 3033-1358 (Online)   NO/FREEDOM AND NO/SUBMISSION Editors: Milena Angelova and Petar Vodenicharov CONTENTS Balkanistic Worlds, 2025, 2 Download ARTICLES   Oana-Ramona Ilovan, Claudia-Florentina Dobre, Vasile Zotic. The Traumascapes of Bărăgan and Siberia: Identity, Place Attachment and Resilience in the Deportees’ Life Stories Download Ketevan Svanidze, Shorena Bolkvadze. Woman and Postcolonial Trauma Download Tamila Davitadze, Nana Mazmishvili. Religion and Women in Adjara Download Georgeta Nazаrska. Muslim Women under the ‘Care’ of the State Women’s Organizations in Bulgaria (1950s‒1980s) Download Yelis Erolova. The Spontaneous and Forced... - [Generative AI policies for journals ](https://balkanistica.com/generative-ai-policies-for-journals/): Generative AI policies for journals (Elsevier) - [Statement of Peer Review Policies](https://balkanistica.com/statement-of-peer-review-policies/): The BALKANISTIC WORLD journal accepts for publication only manuscripts that have not been previously published or submitted to another journal. Editors’ Responsibilities § 1. The editors are responsible for ensuring that a) the quality of the journal is maintained at a high scientific level; b) freedom of opinion is preserved; c) there is no scientific misconduct; d) no inappropriate economic or other factors influence the content of the journal; e) corrections, amendments, retractions and apologies are printed, if necessary; Submitted manuscripts that have passed the preliminary review are scanned for plagiarism software strikeplagiarism.com. After checking for plagiarism, eligible manuscripts are... - [Balkanistic Worlds - full](https://balkanistica.com/balkanistic-worlds-full/): This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: - [Current Issue](https://balkanistica.com/current-issue/):   BALKANISTIC WORLDS Volume II • Issue 1 • January 2026 ISSN 3033-134X (Print) ISSN 3033-1358 (Online) https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18130483 INCLUSION, ISOLATION, AND LONELINESS Editors: Kristina Popova and Anastasiya Pashova CONTENTS ARTICLES     Michaela Wolf Lebensspuren – Traces of Life 9    TOTALITARIAN SOCIETIES AND PLACES OF ISOLATION Vlad Mitric-CiupeProceduralizing Evil, Proceduralizing Dignity: Memory, Trauma, and Post-Conflict Ethics in a Shared Biography 17  Claudia-Florentina Dobre Hegemonic or Marginal Perspective!? The Many Shades of Nostalgia in Post-communist Romania 40 George GotsiridzePapers of the Struggle for the Strengthening the National Identity. In the Archives of Georgian Public Figures 65 Marija MartinovićPhilosophical Reflections on the... - [Contacts ](https://balkanistica.com/contacts/): 2700 Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria Zapad, bl. 33, fl. 8, ap. 22 Tel.: +359 89 9117107 E-mail: bf@balkanistica.com; bforum1992@gmail.com Petar Vodenicharov, editor-in-chief Milena Angelova, editor - [TO AUTHORS](https://balkanistica.com/to-authors-2/): Instructions for Authors Aims and Scope Balkanistic Worlds is an international, peer-reviewed journal devoted to research in the humanities and social sciences related to the Balkan region. The journal welcomes original studies, critical essays, and comparative analyses in areas such as literature, history, linguistics, philosophy, cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, art, and related interdisciplinary fields. The mission of Balkanistic Worlds is to promote scholarly dialogue and cross-cultural understanding by providing a platform for innovative and high-quality research about the Balkans and its global connections. Types of Submissions The journal accepts the following categories of manuscripts: Research Articles: up to 50,000 characters... - [ETHICS](https://balkanistica.com/ethics/): Ethics & Integrity Editorial and Publication Ethics BALKANISTIC WORLDS is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and academic ethics in all aspects of its publication process. The journal adheres to the principles and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). These policies outline the responsibilities and ethical expectations of authors, reviewers, and editors, ensuring the credibility, fairness, and scholarly quality of all published work. For Editors Editors must: Declare any actual or potential conflict of interest (financial, institutional, or personal); Refrain from handling manuscripts submitted by... - [Editorial Board](https://balkanistica.com/editors/): EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Petar Vodenicharov, South-West University, Bulgaria sociolinguist and psycholinguist, linguistic anthropologist, gender relations info  ORCID e-mail EDITORIAL BOARD Kristina Popova, Bulgarian Academy of Science, Bulgaria history of Social Work, Women and Minority Documentation, History of Medicine info  ORCID e-mail Marinela Mladenova, South-West University, Bulgaria microlanguages, Banat Bulgarians, Sociolinguistic, Slavic languages, Contrastive Linguistic info  ORCID e-mail Nadia Danova, Bulgarian Academy of Science, Bulgaria modern and contemporary history, Balkan studies, cultural interactions, Southeastern Europe info  ORCID e-mail Maria Todorova, University of Illinois, USA Balkan studies, social and cultural history, nationalism, identity, memory, Southeastern Europe info  ORCID e-mail Evelina Kelbecheva, American University of Bulgaria, Bulgaria modern history, Cold War,... - [Archives](https://balkanistica.com/archives/): BALKANISTIC WORLDS 2025, Volume I, Issue 3   BALKANISTIC WORLDS 2025, Volume I, Issue 2   BALKANISTIC WORLDS 2025, Volume I, Issue 1           - [About](https://balkanistica.com/): BALKANISTIC WORLDS is an interdisciplinary scholarly journal dedicated to the critical study of Southeast Europe, the Black Sea region, and the Caucasus in their broader European and global context. Its primary goal is to provide an open forum for the exchange of ideas and discussion of significant historical and contemporary issues affecting the region. The journal brings together specialists in history, sociology, literature, anthropology, linguistics, and cultural studies, fostering comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives. Its editorial board consists of distinguished scholars from Bulgaria, Austria, Romania, Turkey, the United States, Serbia, France, the Czech Republic, Canada, Azerbaijan, Greece, North Macedonia and Georgia,... [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)