Master narratives of the middle ages in Bulgaria / / by Roumen Daskalov.

• Superior document: East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450-1450 ; Volume 75
• VerfasserIn: Daskalov, Rumen,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden, The Netherlands ;, Boston : : Brill,, [2021]; ©2021
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Series: East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450-1450 ; Volume 75.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource.

This volume offers a history of historiography, as Roumen Daskalov presents a critical analysis of Bulgarian historiographical views of the Middle Ages to reveal their embeddedness in their historical context and their adaptation to the contemporary circumstances. The study traces the establishment of a master narrative of the Bulgarian Middle Ages and its evolution over time to the present day, including the attempt at a Marxist counter-narrative. Daskalov uses categories of master national narratives, which typically are stories of origins and migrations, state foundations and rises ("golden ages"), and decline and fall, yet they also assert the continuity of the "people", present certain historical personalities (good or evil, "great" or "weak"), and describe certain actions or passivity to others' actions.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The History of Historiography, Historical Mastern Narratives, and This Book -- "Romantic" History-Writing and the Beginnings of a "Critical" Historiography of the Middle Ages in Bulgaria -- The Establishment of the Master National Narrative -- The Attempt at a Marxist Master Counter-Narrative after World War II -- Communist Nationalism and the Return to the Master National Narrative -- Epilogue: New Trends in the Historiography of the Middle Ages in Bulgaria.