The Cultural History of the Balkan Nations Department at the Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology (IBSCT) at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences organizes under the project "Cultural Spaces of the Balkans: Dialogues and Transformations" (2020-2022) a round table on the topic:

"Balkan Cultures: Dialogue, Transfer and Metamorphoses"

Participants in this scholarly event will discuss the cultural development of the countries, ethnic and religious communities in the Balkans, not as static spaces with fixed borders, but rather as spaces operating in a regime of dynamic dialogue. Known for its ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity, the Balkan Peninsula is a fertile centre for shaping and developing a colorful palette of cultural spaces. Historically and presently, it is difficult to delineate the scope and boundaries of these spaces - they are rather dynamic, often vague and amorphous, flowing into each other. Processes of mutual acquaintance, contact and dialogue have taken place between them. Within these natural processes, influences, borrowings, transformations are observed, which maintain the map of the cultural spaces of the Balkans in constant dynamics of development and change. These processes are a particularly attractive scientific field for research. At the same time, the question of whether a common, unified and specific Balkan cultural space existed and can still be discussed today remains debatable.

As an integral part of the Bulgarian-Croatian research project "Bulgarian-Croatian Cultural Routes in Southeast Europe. Intersections and Interactions" implemented by the IBSCT-BAS and the Institute for the History of Croatian Literature, Theatrе and Music, HAZU led by Assoc. Prof. Antoaneta Balcheva, PhD and Prof. Harvojka Mihanovic-Salopek and within the round table a special panel dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Croatian poet Vesna Parun (1922–2010) will be held. During the Bulgarian period of her career Vesna Parun carried out an intensive exchange with Bulgarian culture, which led not only to a number of her translations into Croatian from works by Bulgarian authors, but also to the appearance of her poetry collection "Wind of Thrace". At the same time, Vesna Parun wrote a number of travelogues about Bulgaria, as well as critical essays dedicated to the Bulgarian literary world.

The round table will be held on April 12-13, 2022 at the IBSCT (Moskovska Street No. 45, Sofia, seminar hall on the third floor) and online via Zoom.

Round table proceedings will be published in a collective volume / monograph.

PROGRAMME IN BULGARIAN