On June 12, 2023, another meeting of the "Unknown Balkans" Discussion Club was held. Leading discussants were Assist. Prof. Samuil Kamburov, PhD (IBSCT-BAS) and PhD student Todor Todorov (Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", IBSCT-BAS). They presented issues related to the topic "Foreign military contingents and troops in the Balkans in the period 9th - 11th centuries". Supported by the guest discussants Assist. Prof. Mario Filipov (IBSCT-BAS) and PhD student Nikolay Zhelev (IBSCT-BAS) they started a heated discussion on armaments and military affairs of the foreign military contingents in the Balkans during the period under review. Special attention was paid to two groups of foreign troops - mercenaries and invaders from Northern Europe (Varyangs) and late nomads (Magyars, Pechenegs and Uzis). Issues related to the political, social and economic reasons for appearance of foreign armies and contingents in the Balkans, as well as their relations with the population in the First Bulgarian Kingdom, were also touched upon. Details regarding the foreign naval operations towards the Balkans and Byzantium were discussed too. Prof. Alexandre Kostov, Dr. habil., Corresponding Member of the BAS, Assoc. Prof. Zlatomira Gerdzhikova, Snezhana Goryanova, PhD student Eli Filipova, as well as all those present participated in the discussion with questions and comments.

The "Unknown Balkans" Discussion Club is organized under the project Building a supreme achievements centre "Heritage BG".

Read more ...

The Institute of Balkan Studies and Centre of Tracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS) and St. Kliment Ohridski University Press are pleased to invite you to the presentation of the book of Assist. Prof. Georgi Dimov, PhD "The Balkan World in the Age of the Komnenian Dynasty (1081–1185)".

The event will be held on June 20, 2023 (Tuesday) at 17h00 at the IBSCT-BAS (Moskovska Street No. 45).

We are looking forward to welcoming you!

On June 15, 2023 (Thursday), the Institute of Balkan Studies and Centre of Tracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS) is organizing a conference "The War in Ukraine and the Balkans". The co-organizer of the event is the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.

The conference will be held from 9:00 to 14:00 at the IBSCT-BAS (Moskovska Street No. 45).

We are looking forward to welcoming you!

PROGRAMME

The Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Tracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is pleased to invite you to the next meeting of the "Unknown Balkans" Discussion Club, which will be held on June 12, 2023. Assist. Prof. Samuil Kamburov, PhD and Todor Todorov, PhD Student, will discuss the topic "Foreign military contingents and troops in the Balkans in the 9th-11th centuries".

The event will be held on June 12, 2023 at 16:00 at the Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Tracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Moskovska Street No 45. The discussion is open to everyone.

The "Unknown Balkans" Discussion Club is organized under the project Building a supreme achievements centre "Heritage BG".

On June 13, 2023, at 17:00, at the Institute of Balkan Studies and Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Moskovska Street No. 45, a seminar will be held on the topic "Journey to the land of archives: Through the history of bilateral relations between the People's Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Austria".

The event is organized under the project "Austrian-Bulgarian relations during the Cold War" funded by the Bulgarian National Science Fund of the Ministry of Education and Culture. Results of the latest research on the subject in the archives of both countries will be presented during the seminar.

The Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS) is pleased to invite you to the public lecture of Assist. Prof. Evlogi Stanchev, PhD (IBSCT-BAS) Violent Extremism in North Macedonia: Factors, Trends, Prevention Steps.

The event is organised under the initiative Every Second Tuesday and will be held on June 13, 2023 (Tuesday) at 15:00 at the IBSCT-BAS (Moskovska Street No. 45) and online: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89489470402.

We are looking forward to welcoming you!

User Rating: 4 / 5

On May 29 and 30, 2023, at the Institute of Balkan Studies and Centre of Tracology "Prof. Alexander Fol" at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS), an international scholarly conference "Ethno-religious problems in the Balkans: Theory, practice and policies" was held. Partners of the event were the Cold War Center at Harvard University (USA), the Andrei Sakharov Human Rights Program at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University (USA), the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for the research on consequences of war (Austria) and Haskovo District Administration. The conference is part of the project funded by internal sources "Ethnic, religious and minority problems in the Balkans in the 20th and 21st centuries" led by Prof. Nadia Boyadzhieva, LL. D. A total of 38 established scholars, young researchers, doctoral students from Bulgarian and foreign academic institutes and universities, as well as experts from state institutions participated in the scholarly forum. The program included eight sessions in which theoretical aspects of the topic, current state of research, successful practices and policies of preserving the ethnic and religious diversity, cultural and linguistic richness of the Balkans in the context of the global processes in the region were subject of analysis and discussion.

The scholarly forum was opened by the Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Prof. Nadia Boyadzhieva, LL. D. who emphasized the importance of the research project for science, public interest and the state, and highlighted the main tasks in the work of the two-day scholarly conference.

A solemn address to the participants and guests was given by the Chairman of the Scientific Council of IBSCT-BAS, Prof. Alexandre Kostov, Dr. habil., Corresponding Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, who stressed the relevance and importance of the event in the context of modern dynamic international environment in the world, in Europe and in the Balkans. Support and satisfaction with the organized academic forum was expressed in the congratulatory address on behalf of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria, Prof. Diana Kovacheva, PhD. The Chairman of the State Agency "Archives" of the Republic of Bulgaria - Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mihail Gruev, Prof. Dr. Mark Kramer, Director of the Cold War Center at Harvard University (USA) and Prof. Dr. Peter Ruggenthaler, Deputy Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for the research on consequences of war (Austria) welcomed the participants. Congratulatory letters were sent by the Governor of Haskovo District Administration and by the Governor of the Plovdiv District Administration. Representatives of their leadership, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Ministry of Economy and Industry were among the special guests of the event.

Read more ...

User Rating: 3 / 5

On June 2, 2023, a conference was held in Montana, Bulgaria organized under the scholarly leadership of the Institute of Balkan Studies and Centre of Tracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS) Branch in the city, which was established 5 years ago. Co-organizers of the conference are the Municipality of Montana, the Regional Academic Center of the BAS - Montana and the Regional Historical Museum - Montana.

The topic of this year's forum is: "The Bulgarian Northwest: Education and Culture". It is dedicated to the anniversary of the founding of the National Community Center "Razum 1883" in the former Golyama Kutlovitsa (now Montana). 21 researchers from institutes of the BAS and cultural institutions from the region - Montana, Vidin, Oryahovo, Chiprovtsi, Beogradchik and Georgi Damyanovo - participated in the conference. Their reports and discussions examined the main aspects of the creation, development and activity of educational and cultural institutions in Northwestern Bulgaria during the last two centuries.

The participants in the conference were greeted by the coordinator of Regional Academic Center - Montana, Mr. Valeri Georgiev, the head of the IBSCT-BAS Branch in Montana, Prof. Alexandre Kostov, Dr. habil., Corresponding Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Mayor of the Municipality of Montana Mr. Zlatko Zhivkov, the member of the board of the BAS and Chairman of the 39th National Assembly Assoc. Prof. Borislav Velikov.

The conference is part of the festive program on the occasion of the celebration in the city of Montana "Holy Spirit". The event was met with great interest by the public in the city and was widely covered in the central and local media.

On May 31, 2023, Bisser Banchev, PhD affiliated with the Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Tracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences was a guest on Euronews PrimeTime. He discussed the increased tensions in Kosovo, the peace in the Balkans and the role of Western powers in the conflict.

The full interview is available here.

User Rating: 5 / 5

The Institute of Balkan Studies and Centre of Tracology "Prof. Alexander Fol" at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences organizes an international scholarly conference "Ethno-religious problems in the Balkans: Theory, practice and policies". Partners of the upcoming event are Harvard University (USA), the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for the research on consequences of war (Austria), the Regional Administration - Plovdiv and the Regional Administration - Haskovo. Both established scholars and young specialists, doctoral students from Bulgarian and foreign scholarly institutes and universities, as well as experts from state administration will participate in the scholarly forum. The problems of preserving the ethnic and religious diversity, cultural and linguistic wealth of the Balkans in the context of modern processes in the region will engage the attention of scholars and specialists on the topic from Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, USA, Serbia, Hungary, Croatia, Montenegro, etc.

The conference will be held on May 29 and 30, 2023 in Sofia. The event is organized under the project, funded by internal sources "Ethnic, religious and minority problems in the Balkans in the 20th and 21st centuries" led by Prof. Nadia Boyadzhieva, LL.D.

The official opening will take place on May 29, 2023 at 10:00 in the Hall of the Institute of Balkan Studies and Centre of Tracology at Moskovska Street No. 45.

PROGRAMME

On May 19, 2023, in the Ivan Evstr. Geshov Hall in the central building of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, as well as online, the international conference "Historical Bulgarian Studies outside Bulgaria: State-of-the-art and Perspectives" was held. The conference is organized by the Council for Foreign Bulgarian Studies, the Institute for Balkan Studies and Centre of Tracology and the Institute for Historical Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in implementation of the National Scientific Program "Development and Promotion of Bulgarian Studies Abroad". The conference was opened by Prof. Alexandre Kostov, Dr. habil., Corresponding Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences – Chairman of the Council for Foreign Bulgarian Studies. Assoc. Prof. Elka Traikova, PhD - scientific secretary of the BAS gave a welcome speech.

The conference was held in a hybrid format. Bulgarian and foreign scholars from sixteen countries participated with reports.

The first session, chaired by Prof. Roumiana Preshlenova, PhD (Institute of Balkan Studies and Centre of Tracologyat the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences), was dedicated to the development of Bulgarian studies in Poland, Hungary and Greece. Bulgarian studies in India, Ukraine, China and Japan were presented in the second session of the conference, chaired by Prof. Alexandre Kostov, Dr. habil., Corresponding Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The third session of the conference, moderated by Prof. Penka Peykovska (Institute for Historical Studies - BAS), was dedicated to the state of Bulgarian studies in Germany, Spain, Belgium and Italy. The last session of the conference, cahired by Prof. Lyubka Lipcheva-Prandzheva (Plovdiv University "Paisiy Hilendarski"), was dedicated to Bulgarian studies in the Russian Federation and Moldova.

Read more ...

On June 2, 2023, in Montana, Bulgaria will be held the next conference organized under the scholarly leadership of the Branch of the Institute of Balkan Studies and Centre of Tracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, which was established 5 years ago. The topic of this year's forum is: "The Bulgarian Northwest: Education and Culture". The reason for choosing this topic is the anniversary of the founding of the National Community Centre "Razum 1883" in the former Golyama Kutlovitsa (the today city of Montana). 21 researchers from institutes at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and cultural institutions from the region - Montana, Vidin, Oryahovo, Chiprovtsi, Beogradchik and Georgi Damyanovo - will take part in the conference. Their reports are dedicated to two main themes:

• Creation, development and activity of educational and cultural institutions in Northwestern Bulgaria.
• Contribution and role of prominent personalities in educational and cultural activities in the region - teachers, community centre workers, museum workers, artists, etc.

The event marks the beginning of the festive program on the occasion of the Holy Spirit feast in Montana, which this year falls on June 5.

The organizers of the conference are the Municipality of Montana, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences,the Institute of Balkan Studies and Centre of Tracology - Branch Montana, Bulgaria, the Regional Academic Centre - Montana, the Regional History Museum - Montana.

Venue: Regional History Museum - Montana, Exhibition Hall, "Graf Ignatiev" Street No. 3, start - 9h00.

PROGRAMME