Unraveling Bulgarian-Turkish Tensions: The Final Chapter of the Cold War and the United Nations (1984-1989)

The presentation will explore the end of the Cold War from a peripheral perspective, focusing on the relationship between Bulgaria and Turkey, two neighboring countries on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain. Following the 1984 forced change of names of Bulgarian Muslims that is called the Revival Process (“Възродителен процес”/“Vazroditelen protzes”), tensions between Sofia and Ankara escalated, even in the context of East-West rapprochement. Turkish diplomats internationalized the dispute between Sofia and Ankara on human rights to the United Nations, aiming to pressure the Bulgarian government to alter its internal policies. This presentation will highlight an alternative approach to studying the end of the Cold War by examining these peripheral dynamics.

About the Speaker: Bogoya Dimitrov is a Visiting International Student at UW-Madison, originally from the European University Institute in Italy. His research centers on Bulgarian-Turkish diplomatic relations during the Cold War.

About Karpat Talks: The Karpat Talks is a series of presentations designed to highlight the research of graduate students, scholars, and visiting academics in Turkish studies. The talks aim to create a space for dialogue and knowledge exchange on topics ranging from Ottoman history to contemporary Turkish issues.

 About K-GRADS Society: The Karpat Graduate Student Society (K-GRADS Society) is a platform for graduate students at UW-Madison to connect and share their research related to Turkish studies. It provides a supportive environment for networking, mentorship, and collaboration among emerging scholars in the field of Turkish and Ottoman history. K-GRADS Society organizes the Ottoman Turkish Reading Group and Karpat Talks.  If you are interested in joining the K-GRADS Society, please fill out our sign-up form or send us an email: karpatgradsociety@gmail.com

Organized by the K-GRADS Society

Sponsored by the Kemal H.Karpat Center for Turkish Studies, Department of History