Muslim Lives in Eastern Europe: Gender, Ethnicity, and the Transformation of Islam in Postsocialist Bulgaria (Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics)

271 Pages·2009·2.96 MB·English

by  Kristen Ghodsee

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Kristen Ghodsee, Muslim Lives in Eastern Europe: Gender, Ethnicity, and the
Transformation of Islam in Postsocialist Bulgaria
MusliM lives in eastern europe
GENDER, ETHNIcITy, AND THE TRANSFORMATION
OF ISLAM IN POSTSOcIALIST BuLGARIA
Kristen Ghodsee
P R I N c E T O N u N I V E R S I T y P R E S S P R I N c E T O N A N D O x F O R D
copyright © 2010 by Princeton university Press
Published by Princeton university Press, 41 William Street,
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
In the united Kingdom: Princeton university Press, 6 Oxford Street,
Woodstock, Oxfordshire Ox20 1TW
All Rights Reserved
Library of congress cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ghodsee, Kristen Rogheh, 1970–
Muslim lives in Eastern Europe : gender, ethnicity, and the transformation of Islam in
postsocialist Bulgaria / Kristen Ghodsee.
p. cm. — (Princeton studies in Muslim politics)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-691-13954-8 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-691-13955-5
(pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Muslims—Bulgaria—Social conditions—case studies.
2. Muslims—Bulgaria—Madan (Smolianski okrug)—Social conditions. 3. Islam—Social
aspects—Bulgaria—case studies. 4. Islam and politics—Bulgaria—case studies. 5. Sex
role—Bulgaria—case studies. 6. Ethnicity—Political aspects—Bulgaria—case studies.
7. Social change—Bulgaria—case studies. 8. communism—Social aspects—Bulgaria—
case studies. 9. Bulgaria—History—1990– 10. Bulgaria—Religious life and customs—
case studies. I. Title.
DR64.2.M8G48 2009
305.6’9709499—dc22
2008056088
British Library cataloging-in-Publication Data is available
This book has been composed in Sabon
Printed on acid-free paper.
press.princeton.edu
Printed in the united States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Kristiana and chris
Contents
Illustrations ix
A Note on Transliteration xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction
The changing Face of Islam in Bulgaria 1
chapter One
Names to Be Buried With 34
chapter Two
Men and Mines 56
chapter Three
The Have-nots and the Have-nots 86
chapter Four
Divide and Be conquered 109
chapter Five
Islamic Aid 130
chapter Six
The Miniskirt and the Veil 159
conclusion
Minarets after Marx 184
Appendix 205
Notes 207
Selected Bibliography 235
Index 243
Illustrations
1 Girls dressed in the new “Arab” style 2
2 The center of Madan in winter 4
3 The GORuBSO Building 7
4 A building in Madan in 2005 8
5 The renovated façade of the culture House, representing the ideal
communist man and woman 9
6 The village of Madan in the 1950s 45
7 A Pomak girl in the 1950s 48
8 Madan developed as a communist city 53
9 The central Department Store in Madan 54
10 A statue of a GORuBSO miner as a symbol of communist
masculinity 58
11 Miners in Madan 60
12 One of the GORuBSO mines in 2005 68
13 A n MRF campaign sign for the 2005 Parliamentary election 125
14 The Elhovets Mosque, built during the Ottoman era 146
15 The new mosque in Tǎrǎn 147
16 The new mosque in Rudozem 148
17 The new mosque in chepintsi 149
18 The mosque in Madan 150
19 Girls leaving a summer Qur’an course 151
20 A woman dressed in the traditional style glaring at three girls
dressed in the “Arab” style 162
21 Two Muslim women in miniskirts, Rudozem, 2005 164
22 Muslim women dressed in the new style in 2005 165
23 Three young Pomak women in 2005 168
24 A Muslim man and woman in 2005 174
25 A young Pomak girl in 2005 204