“Knowledge and Memory Policies: Public (Mis)Use of the Recent Bulgarian Past” is three year research project. Its basic premise is the lack of critical and profound mass of knowledge about the communist period which hinders the independent evaluation of the past.
Period: 2007 – 2010
Implementing partners: National Art Gallery, Paideia Foundation, Political Science Center.
At different stages of the project implementation the Institute will closely cooperate with Faculty of Philosophy, Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at Sofia University, other universities, Bulgarian Media Coalition, The Victims of Communism Union.
Goals: The accumulation of knowledge about the recent past, its legacy and its evaluation are major premises for developing and sustaining a pluralistic and prosperous modern society. This conviction underlines our specific project goals.
Objectives:
- Stimulation and support for the public’s interest and critical reflection on the recent communist past and the transition period;
- Accumulation and consolidation of new and existing documental knowledge, exploration of unknown facts and recently opened resources and their public availability;
- Institutionalization of knowledge and memory about the recent past through education and memorial institutions and events;
- The Institute of Studies of the Recent Past as nationally and internationally recognized centre for knowledge and memory about the Bulgarian communism and its aftermath.
Activities:
Activation and preservation of collective memory and knowledge:
- Personalization of memory: open call for memoirs, diaries, official documents and letters; financial awards;
- Visualization of memory: photo archive of communist crimes and repressions;
- Everyday experience: provoke and record oral memory, interviews and creation of video and audio archive;
- Share the experience: local public debates; meeting different (‘victims’ and ‘executioners’) perspectives;
- Data processing and availability: processing and digitalization, structured and searchable archive; publication on internet and open access.
Social and Institutional Mediation:
- Development and maintenance of web-site presenting all project initiatives, results and collected data; news, projects, publications, etc. about communist recent past and present impact on society;
- The establishment and upkeep of library, bibliography (hard-copy and digital), reference book and secondary literature on the period with open access;
- Series of journalistic investigations on socially recognized and important topics;
- Series of public presentations and final international conference on the communist legacy and the transition period;
- National Photo exhibition on the 50th anniversary of the Belene camp abolition, Communism crimes;
- Publication of series of books and compendiums; free dissemination in public libraries, among university and school teachers.
Academic Mediation:
- Open call for archival and analytical researchers;
- Research teams working on different case studies; Establish the project Steering Committee;
- Financial support (with scholarships) on competitive basis for young scientists and PhD students;
- University educational courses and seminars; free dissemination of materials among university and school history teachers;
- Research on the institutional memory, official party, state and State security archives; investigation and publication of little or unknown documents; documental analysis;
- Regular meetings of the thematic research teams – evaluation and control; presentation of the research stages during the local public debates and on;
- Final research presentations and public discussions;
- Research publications and dissemination.
The project is sponsored by CEE Trust , USA.