Bones of Contention

The living archive of Vasil Levski and the making of Bulgaria's national hero

AvMaria Todorova

Inbunden, Engelska, 2009

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Beskrivning

This book is about documenting and analyzing the living archive around the figure of Vasil Levski (1837–1873), arguably the major and only uncontested hero of the Bulgarian national pantheon. The processes described, although with a chronological depth of almost two centuries, are still very much in the making, and the living archive expands not only in size but constantly adding surprising new forms. The monograph is a historical study, taking as its narrative focus the life, death and posthumous fate of Levski. By exploring the vicissitudes of his heroicization, glorification, appropriations, reinterpretation, commemoration and, finally, canonization, it seeks to engage in several broad theoretical debates, and provide the basis for subsequent regional comparative research. The analysis of Levski's consecutive and simultaneous appropriations by different social platforms, political parties, secular and religious institutions, ideologies, professional groups, and individuals, demonstrates how boundaries within the framework of the nation are negotiated around accepted national symbols.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2009-01-10
Mått:152 x 229 x 42 mm
Vikt:2 180 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:638
Förlag:Central European University Press
ISBN:9789639776241

Utforska kategorier

Nationalism inom Samhälle och politik
Europas historia inom Historia och arkeologi

Mer om författaren

Maria N. Todorova is a Professor of History at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Recensioner i media

"An enjoyable but daunting volume; Maria Todorova entertains with straightforward prose while she tackles a subject that is in its breadth and depth unusually complex. Todorova's book arrives at a promising moment in the evolution of nationalism studies. The author engages several theoretical debates, and in doing so revives the quest for impartiality in academic research."

Innehållsförteckning

Introduction, Part I. Bones of Contention or Professionals, Dilettantes, and Who Owns History 1. A “social drama” at the BulgarianAcademy of Sciences 2. From breach to crisis 3. No redress, or where are Levski’s bones? 4. “Professionals” and “dilettantes” 5. Recognizing the schism or what is worse: bad professionals or good nationalists? Part II. The Apostle of Freedom or What Makes a Hero? 1. What is a hero and are heroes born? 2. The “making” of Vasil Levski 3. A banner for all causes: appropriating the hero 4. Contesting the hero 5. The literary and visual hypostases of the hero 6. From hero for all to dissident and back, Part III. The National Hero as Secular Saint: The Canonization of Levski 1. The split or how a bicephalous organism functions 2. The canonization and its implications 3. Levski and the Bulgarian church: memory and narration 4. The orchestration of a grass-roots cultus 5. Commemoration, ritual and the sacred 6. Heroes and saints: the dialectics of reincarnation, Conclusion: Weak nationalism and its heroes, Appendices Appendix I. The scholarly consensus on the 1956 excavations until the 1980s in the writings of Stamen Mikhailov. A critical analysis Appendix II. The discussion at the Academy of Sciences : 10, 12 and 27 February 1986 Appendix III. Letter of 20 Bulgarian historians to Todor Zhivkov, 4 May 1987 Appendix IV. Poems written by citizens on the topic of Levski’s grave Appendix V. Letter of Radka Poptomova, April 1987 Appendix VI. Letter of medieval section at AI, June 2001 Appendix VII. The double-headed hierarchy of the Bulgarian Orthodox church (1996-2004) Appendix VIII. School questionnaires on Levski Appendix IX. Samples of student papers on Levski Appendix X. Facsimile of report by Chervenkov and Pavlov to Todor Zhivkov, 1956. (Grobît na Vasil Levski, 2002, 150-151, 155). + mention in Part I, n. 165