fieldwork » May 2011 – Kazanlak, Kalofer, Pavel Banya, village of Skobelevo, village of Gorno Sahrane

May 2011 – Kazanlak, Kalofer, Pavel Banya, village of Skobelevo, village of Gorno Sahrane
Participants: Stoyan Antonov, Olivier Givre, Meglena Zlatkova, Krassimira Krastanova

 
The team aimed at carrying out a focused ethnographic observation and investigation by the use of free narratives about particular events.
Kazanlak: The interviews and observations in the museums revealed two main themes which had to do with the heritage – “roses” and “Thracian people”. Both have played major role in the presentation of the place. This met the expectations about the image of Kazanlak that had resulted from the preliminary research. A third theme which is waiting for its analysis and use by the local cultural policies is the craft of making string instruments, or lutherie. In this case, the model followed by the Bulgarian museums as institutions taking care of the heritage is confirmed. Material cultural heritage plays the major part and it is considered as a resource for presentation of itself and also for organization of a cultural event. After the first interviews, a working hypothesis can be drown that the change of the relations between public and private during the post-socialist time leads to division of the localities into smaller localities further to the level of settlement or even part of settlement. All settlements in the region of Kazanlak in fact use the symbolic capital of the constructed territory of the roses as a legitimating resource and a source of possible transformation of capital.
In Kalofer, the work was based on the idea to find the place of the Natural Park “Central Balkan” in the way of thinking about and in preservation of the natural heritage and its relationship with the intangible cultural heritage. Here the conceptualization of the park was outlined clearly, its natural resources, its use for social and cultural activities, its relationship with the local communities, its participation in international network of similar units, etc.
In Pavel Banya, on the basis of free conversations with respondents two main resources of local development were underlined specifically: the mineral water and the roses. As a major cultural event the Fest of Roses (and water) was mentioned, and the role of Kazanlak in this was admitted.
In the village of Skobelevo, two objects were observed to be examples of important local initiatives for attracting tourists – “Rosa Damaszena”, an enterprise for production of Roza oil and Roza water, with an ethnographic complex, and Farm for ostriches. In the first case the self-initiative of the owners was the driving force, and a specific local identity was observed (unique local conditions; people of diverse origin who live in understanding; local workers).The second case is based on the showing distance from the place (and village as culture and economy in general) and its traditions; it is telling a lot about the interpretation of the global heritage.

See all of the field works:

· May 2011 – Kalofer »
· May 2011 - Kazanlak, Kalofer, Pavel Banya, Skobelevo »
· May 2011 - Gorna Bela rechka »
· June 2011 - Karlovo »
· June 2011 - Kazanlak »
· July 2011 - Svilengrad, Mezek, Momkovo »
· August 2011 -Zlatograd »
· August 2011 - valley of Arda »
· September 2011 - Perushtitsa »