Magazine / Society / Romania and Bulgaria / Essay | 12/02/2007

The Secret Joys of Provincialism

Bulgaria's political culture can best be captured via the metaphor of the province, according to the author. A country caught between admiration for Europe and anti-European sentiment.

An Essay on Bulgarian Political Culture

The text is the author's own work, and was published in an abbreviated German version in the journal "Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte.

There was this famous joke during socialism illustrating the supposed national character. An American spy was sent to Bulgaria, and a month later he wrote a desperate message to his superiors. "I cannon understand a thing in this country. Nobody is working, but everyone gets a salary. Everyone gets a salary, but there is nothing in the shops. There is nothing in the shops, but all refrigerators are full. The refrigerators are full, but everyone hates the communists. Everyone hates communists, but no one protests..."

The province – a metaphor for Bulgaria's political culture.

Photo: European Commission/Mladen Antonov

I guess, the string of paradox could be continued straight into the times of EU integration. There is on one hand a quasi-absolute consensus about the European orientation of the country. Then, on issues like closing down the nuclear plant, social measures for the Gypsy ghettoes or getting back death penalty opinion polls swing to open antieuropeanizm and integrational priorities are readily suspended to the profit of inner conviction. Europeans are abstractly admired, then when it comes to the concrete EC expert, Greek capitalist or French football team amazing negative energies erupt out of the blue. No one knows what the positions of the country are on whatever integrational subject, and the Bulgarian negotiators or ministers of European affairs are scornfully called Mr/Mrs "Yes”. Then to the general astonishment, the outcome is not so bad and Bulgaria – the country that used to be closest to the USSR and farthest from the West among the 10 candidates – miraculously gets a relatively fair deal without having fought anything similar to Poland's battles. But instead of enthusiasm this produces paranoid interpretations at home about secret accession clauses and imminent catastrophe...

You find this type of paradox wherever you look. Say, most Bulgarians are proud to be members of the team of the strong ones, i.e. NATO, and in the same time they are extremely critical about what NATO did in Serbia. Emigration abroad is seen as an exciting chance for the individual and an economic resource for the country. But emigration is also the reason for the deepest national depressions caused by the apocalyptic demographical imaginary. Bulgarians will take pride in their national diligence, then at another moment feel ashamed about laziness; you will hear about heroic battles and historic deeds, then confronted to stories of treason, meanness and catastrophe.

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Further articles on the subject » EU Enlargement / Neighbourhood Policy, » Public Culture, » History, » South East Europe, » Bulgaria
More from the press review on the subject » EU Enlargement / Neighbourhood Policy, » Public Culture, » History, » South East Europe, » Bulgaria