Identity, nationalism, and cultural heritage under siege : five narratives of Pomak heritage - from forced renaming to weddings / by Fatme Myuhtar-May.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Myuhtar-May, Fatme.

Series:

Balkan studies library ; volume 14.

Balkan studies library, 1877-6272 ; volume 14

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pomaks--Bulgaria--Social conditions.

Pomaks.

Pomaks--Bulgaria--Social life and customs.

Pomaks--Bulgaria--Case studies.

Pomaks--Bulgaria--Biography.

Culture conflict--Bulgaria.

Culture conflict.

Culture conflict--Rhodope Mountains Region.

Manners and customs.

Social conditions.

Bulgaria--Ethnic relations.

Bulgaria.

Ethnic relations.

Rhodope Mountains Region--Ethnic relations.

Rhodope Mountains Region.

Genre:

Biographies.

Case studies.

Physical Description:

x, 278 pages : illustrations, color map ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, [2014]

Summary:

In Identity, Nationalism, and Cultural Heritage under Siege, Fatme Myuhtar-May makes a case for the recognition of Pomak heritage by presenting five stories from the past and present of the Rhodope Muslims in Bulgaria as examples of a distinct Pomak culture. The stories range from the Christianization during the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 and the forced communist renaming of the Pomaks in the 1970s, to their fascinating wedding rituals and historic figures. Each of the five narratives contains its own storyline and serves as a prominent example of Pomak heritage, from the author's perspective. The stories take place in the context of fervent nationalism and the ongoing censorship of Pomakness based on the claim that it is an 'ethnic Bulgarian,' not 'Pomak' heritage. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Heritage of Pluralism or Having Cultural Agency: An Introduction 1

Making Sense of the Past 1

Having Cultural Agency 4

The Role of Heritage Brokers 9

Heritage as Identity 14

1 Heritage as Vernacular (Dissenting) Identity 15

2 Heritage as National (Dominant) Identity 20

Five Case Studies 23

In Conclusion 26

2 Nationalism and Violence: The Case of Pomak Christianization (Pokrustvane) in Bulgaria, 1912-1913 32

The Nationalism Premise 33

The Pomaks 40

War and Pokrustvane (Conversion) in 1912-1913 47

1 The Balkan Wars 48

2 The Pokrustvane 51

2.1 The Killings in Oral History 64

2.2 The Killings Documented 71

2.3 Humanity and Survival Along the Way 75

2.4 The Pokrustvane of Muslim Prisoners of War (POWs) 82

2.5 The Tide is Turning 85

3 War and Pokrustvane No More 91

Conclusion 93

3 The Vuzroditelen Protses: Identity Crisis and the Forced Renaming of the Pomaks (1944-1989) 96

Policy and Ideology of the Vuzhroditelen Protses 96

Bringing about Identity Crisis 104

From Pokrustvane to Vuzhroditelen Protses 110

1 The Rebirth of Organization Rodina 110

2 Mission: "Revival" 120

Turmoil in the (Western) Rhodopes 126

Economic Opportunities in the Vuzhroditelen Protses 131

Conclusion 136

1 External Pressure, Internal Turmoil, and the "Big Excursion" 136

2 The End Is Near or Is It? 138

3 Implications for Pomak Heritage 142

4 A Pomak Life of Dissent Amidst Cultural Oppression in Communist Bulgaria 144

Meeting Ramadan 144

Ramadaris Vuzhroditelen-Protses Ordeal 145

Trouble in Kornitsa 148

Trouble in Exile 154

Bloody Revival in the Rhodopes 156

Prison Tribulations 161

1 Arrest, Detention, and Trial 161

2 Tortured Prisoner 164

3 Release and Re-imprisonment 168

"Take the Passport or Die" 171

Conclusion 172

5 The Ribnovo Wedding: A Pomak Tradition 175

Introduction 175

Ribnovo: Place and People 178

Colorful Fairytale Ribnovo 181

The Chelz 199

The Essence of the Ribnovo Wedding 201

Marriage: "The Key Turning Point in... Adult Life" 203

Asserting Identity through Custom 208

6 Preserving Historical Heritage: The Case of Salih Aga of Pasmakli, the Pomak Governor of the Ahi Çelebi Kaza of the Ottoman Empire (1798-1838) 214

Finding Salih Aga 215

Salih Aga and His Time 219

Who Wrote about Salih Aga 223

Salih's Family Tree 228

Salih, the Family Man 230

1 Mustafa Adzhi Aga 230

2 Salihagovitsa (the Wife of Salih Aga) 236

Salih, the Public Man 240

The Death of Salih Aga 242

Conclusion: Salih Aga's Heritage 248.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 270-274) and index.

ISBN:

9789004272071

9004272070

OCLC:

876292903