The Cold War from the Margins: A Small Socialist State on the Global Cultural Scene

330 Pages·2021·6.587 MB·English

by  Theodora K. Dragostinova

T HE COLD WAR FROM THE MARGINS

T HE COLD WAR FROM
THE MARGINS
A Small Socialist State on the
Global Cultural Scene
Theodora K. Dragostinova
C ORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS
Ithaca and London
C opyright © 2021 by Theodora Dragostinova
This book is freely available in an open access edition
thanks to TOME (Toward an Open Monograph
Ecosystem)—a collaboration of the Association of
American Universities, the Association of University
Presses, and the Association of Research Libraries—and
the generous support of The Ohio State University
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T he text of this book is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license (the “Open
Access Version”): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/
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book, in any way not covered by the license, please contact
Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street,
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F irst published 2021 by Cornell University Press
P rinted in the United States of America
L ibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Dragostinova, Theodora, 1972– author.
T itle: The Cold War from the margins : a small socialist
state on the g lobal cultural scene / Theodora K.
Dragostinova.
D escription: Ithaca [New York] : Cornell University Press,
2021. | Includes b ibliographical references and index.
I dentifiers: LCCN 2020034764 (print) | LCCN 2020034765
(ebook) | ISBN 9 781501755552 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781501755569 (epub) | ISBN 9 781501755576 (pdf)
S ubjects: LCSH: Cultural diplomacy—Bulgaria—History—
20th century. | Cold War—Social aspects. | Politics and
culture—Bulgaria—History—20th c entury. | Bulgaria—
Cultural policy—20th century.
C lassification: LCC DR92 .D73 2021 (print) |
LCC DR92 (ebook) | DDC 9 49.903/1—dc23
L C record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020034764
L C ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020034765
To my parents

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Preface xi
List of Abbreviations xix
Note on Terminology xxi
Introduction: Bulgaria on the Global
Cultural Scene of the 1970s 1
1 . The Contradictions of Developed
Socialism 22
2 . Goodwill between Neighbors 62
3 . Culture as a Way of Life 96
4 . Forging a Diaspora 131
5 . Like a Grand World Civilization 162
6 . Culture under Special Conditions 195
E pilogue: The Socialist Past Today 222
Notes 233
Bibliography 279
Index 295

Illustrations
1. The author at a celebration, 1982 xiii
2 . The author’s family in Nigeria, 1979 xiv
3 . The author at archaeological excavations, 1989 xv
4 . 1300 Years Bulgaria poster, 1981 4
5 . Bulgarian exhibition in Lagos, Nigeria, 1980 10
6 . Children visiting The Bells monument in Sofia, 1981 11
7 . Tina Turner giving an interview on Bulgarian television, 1981 13
8 . Participants in the International Children’s Assembly, 1979 39
9 . The People’s Palace of Culture, 1981 42
1 0. The 1300 Years Bulgaria Monument, 1981 44
1 1. The Rozhen Folk Fair, 1981 45
1 2. 1300th anniversary logo for foreign audiences 47
1 3. Todor Zhivkov during an exhibition in Sofia 50
14. Todor Zhivkov and Greek prime minister Konstantinos
Karamanlis 90
15. Nikolai Todorov and former Greek prime minister
Panaiotis Kanelopoulos 92
1 6. Thracian Treasures from Bulgaria, Metropolitan Museum
of Art, New York City, 1977 112
1 7. 1000 Years of Bulgarian Icons, Vienna, 1977 115
1 8. Invitation to T hracian Treasures from Bulgaria, Metropolitan
Museum of Art, 1977 117
1 9. The exhibition Leonardo da Vinci and His School, Sofia, 1979 125
20. Federal Republic of Germany Cultural Week in Bulgaria,
November 1980 126
2 1. Bulgarian émigrés visiting the city of Bansko, 1981 136
2 2. Émigré magazine Borba featuring an anticommunist
cover, 1981 138
2 3. A folk ensemble performance in Ohio, 1978 145
24. The centennial of Januarius MacGahan’s death in
New Lexington, Ohio, 1978 150
ix