IV.
D. The Roma in Bulgaria
ACKERLEY, F. G. “Romano-Esi.” Journal of the Gypsy Lore
Society. Third Series. Vol. 27, Nos. 3-4 (July-October 1948): p. 158.
This short article looks at the brief history
of the Bulgarian Romany newspaper Romano-Esi (The Gypsy Voice). Replaced
a year later by Nevo Drom, (The New Way), all Bulgarian Roma were required
to subscribe to both publications.
GILLIAT-SMITH, B. “Endani Relatives.” Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society,
Third Series 37, nos. 3-4 (July-October 1958): p. 156.
This explains, among other things, how the Greek
word describing the Roma became accepted by the Bulgarian Roma themselves.
It was introduced by the Armenian troops sent by the Byzantine empire to
settle the frequent Bulgarian independence movements.
GILLIAT-SMITH, B. “Gypsies in Bulgaria (1948),” Journal of the Gypsy
Lore Society. Third Series, Vol. 27, Nos. 3-4 (July-October 1948):
pp. 156-7.
This brief article looks at the life of the Roma
in post-World War II Bulgaria, most particularly at the brief Romany renaissance
in that country on the eve of its communization.
Helsinki Watch. Children of Bulgaria: Police Violence and Arbitrary
Confinement. New York: Human Rights Watch, 1996.
This extremely important publication is based
on a spring 1996 fact-finding mission by Yondon Thonden, and details the
abuse of street children, most of them Roma. According to this first-hand
account, most of the abuses are committed by the police and skinhead street
gangs. The investigator visited Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Pleven, and Sliven
to gather information. At the end of the report, there are a series of
recommendations to Bulgarian authorities about changes needed to stop these
abuses, as well as appendixes that detail United Nations’ and other rules
governing the treatment of children.
Helsinki Watch. Destroying Ethnic Identity: The Gypsies of Bulgaria.
New York: Human Rights Watch, 1991.
This excellent study, which is based on fact-finding
missions conducted in Bulgaria by Theodore Zang, Jr. and Lois Whitman,
begins with a brief historical overview of the Roma in this Balkan nation.
It then looks at questions about the state of Romany housing, education,
employment, their involvement in the political process, and how they are
viewed in the state media. It also discusses their treatment by the police
and the military, and their relationship with other Bulgarians. Its appendixes
contain important state documents from 1959 and 1962 dealing with governmental
policies towards the Roma.
MARUSHIAKOVA, Elena. “Ethnic Identity among Gypsy Groups in Bulgaria.”
Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society. Fifth Series, Vol. II, No. 2 (1992):
pp. 95-115.
This solid look at the different Romany groups
in Bulgaria describes their individual and collective origins, often along
traditional occupational lines. This broad account traces the earliest
origins of Roma groups in Bulgaria from the Middle Ages through the late
1980s.
MARUSHIAKOVA, E. “Gruppi e organizzazioni zingare in Bulgaria e il loro
atteggiamneto verso l’impegno politico.” Lacio Drom 28 (January-April
1992): pp. 51-63.
This article contains an explanation of the expressed
political goals of the Bulgarian Roma in the postcommunist era.
MARUSHIAKOVA, E., et al. The Ethnic Situation in Bulgaria: Research
in 1992. Sofia: Club 90 Publishers, 1993.
Produced by a project on ethnic relations sponsored
by Princeton University, this report contains an overview as well as details
about how both Muslims and Roma are treated in Bulgaria.
MARUSHIAKOVA, Elena and Vesselin Popov. Tsiganite na Bulgariya/ The
Gypsies of Bulgaria: Problems of the Multicultural Museum Exhibition.
Sofia: CLUB 90 Publishers, 1995.
This colorful publication was produced as part
of the Multicultural Museum’s exhibition, “A Tool for Educating the Public
in Mutual Tolerance and Respect for Gypsies”. The exhibit was funded by
the European Community and the Council of Europe. The publication provides
an excellent overview in Bulgarian and English of the history, culture,
and societal problems of the Roma in Bulgaria. It contains an excellent
collection of photographs.
MARUSHIAKOVA, Elena and Vesselin Popov. Studii Romani. Vol. I: Minority
Studies Society. Sofia: Club 90 Publishers, 1994.
This English-Bulgarian study of Romany folklore
and language was made possible by a generous grant from the Soros Roma
Foundation. Edited by two of Bulgaria’s foremost specialists on the Roma,
its introductory material provides valuable insight into the evolution
of Romany cultural and linguistic traditions in this Balkan nation.
MARUSHIAKOVA, Elena and Vesselin Popov. Tsiganite v Bulgariya. Sofiya:
Izdatelstvo Klub 90, 1993.
This excellent history of the Roma in Bulgaria
traces their origins in the country from the late Middle Ages through the
end of the communist era in the late 1980s. It is anchored by a fine bibliography
of works on the Roma in Bulgarian, English, and other languages and has
a good index. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the
history of the Roma in Bulgaria.
POPOV, Vesselin. “Problema zingaro in Bulgaria nel contesto attuale.” O
Lacio Drom. Vol. 28 (January-April 1992): pp. 41-50.
This article presents the socio-economic and
political stature of the Roma in contemporary Bulgaria, and discusses their
tenuous position in this rapidly changing society.
SILVERMAN, Carol. “Bulgarian Gypsies: Adaptation in a Socialist Context.”
Nomadic
Peoples. Nos. 21-22 (December 1986): pp. 51-62.
This article by a prominent Balkan folklorist
deals with the problems that the Roma in Bulgaria had adapting their traditional
nomadic and semi-sedentary culture to the demands of Bulgaria’s communist
system.
TOMOVA, Ilona. The Gypsies in the Transition Period. Sofia: International
Center for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations, 1995.
An analysis of a survey begun in 1994 that attempted
to determine how macro-economic changes [in Bulgaria] reflected on the
condition of the Roma community. The appendixes contain survey questions
and regional responses to a team of specialists. The rest of the study
looks at questions of ethnic identity, a demographic profile of Bulgarian
Roma, marriage and family, nutrition and health, education, housing and
living conditions, the economic well-being of the Roma, and general Romany
opinions of their life in Bulgaria since 1989.
TROXEL, Luan. “Bulgaria’s Gypsies: Numerically Strong, Politically Weak.”
RFE/RL
Research Report, no. 1 (March 6, 1992): pp. 58-61.
According to this report, the Bulgarians, though
apparently tolerant towards other national minorities, have manifested
an increasing hatred and violence towards the Romany population.
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