Bulgarisation ( bg, българизация), also known as Bulgarianisation ( bg, побългаряване) is the spread of

Bulgarian culture A number of ancient civilizations, including the Thracians, ancient Greeks, Scythians, Celts, ancient Romans, Goths (Ostrogoths and Visigoths), Slavs ( East and West Slavs), Varangians and the Bulgars have left their mark on the culture, h ...

beyond the Bulgarian ethnic space.

History

A number of government policies are considered to be examples of Bulgarisation, including the attempt of the former communist leadership in the 1980s to assimilate a Turkish population of

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

. During the Communist period of Bulgarian history, the Turkish minority (mainly across Bulgaria's east) of the country were forced to change their names from Turkish or Arabic to Bulgarian in 1984, during Todor Zhivkov's rule. Back then, as well as nowadays, the supporters of this policy refer to it as the "

Revival Process The Revival Process or the Process of Rebirth ( bg, Възродителен процес, Vazroditelen protses) refers to a policy of forced assimilation practiced by the socialist Bulgarian government in the 1980s. The policy involved the ethni ...

", while critics call it "the so-called Vǎzroditelen process". Turkish culture and language as well as Islamic beliefs were also suppressed. The argument was that the Turkish population of Bulgaria were allegedly Bulgarians

forced to convert to Islam ''Forced'' is a single-player and co-op action role-playing game developed by BetaDwarf, released in October 2013 for Windows, OS X and Linux through the Steam platform as well as Wii U. It is about gladiators fighting for their freedom in a fan ...

during the

Ottoman rule Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to: Governments and dynasties * Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924 * Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...

.Briefing: Bulgaria's Muslims: From Communist assimilation to tentative recognition
, '' Islamic Human Rights Commission'' This project met forceful resistance in the form of large-scale protests, international pressure and cases of terrorism. After the end of Communist rule, people were free to revert to previous names or adopt the names they wished, Arabic/Turkish or other. Some people continued using both names. Bulgarisation has also affected the Romanians in Bulgaria, who are largely assimilated.CERCETĂRI ETNOGRAFICE LA ROMÂNII DINTRE KOZLODUI ȘI ȘIȘTOV
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References

Cultural assimilation Slavicization Human rights in Bulgaria Islam in Bulgaria + Pomaks {{slavic-lang-stub Bulgarian irredentism

History

See also

References