Elena Nalbantova

The ideologist Rakovski and his experiment “Hindistan”

Summary

The current essay introduces representative points of view towards the relation between The European and The Bulgarian for the period 1762-1865. The first part of the paper is focused on the work done by Paisii, Sofronii, N. Bozveli, and V. Aprilov; the second part presents the Rakovski’s attempt to rewrite the established concept about cultural metropolis and cultural “colonies”. The leading role in Paisii’s works is his effort to contradict Bulgarians to the other peoples, as the Bulgarian merits are emphasized. During the first decades of 19th century (Sofronii, N. Bozveli, etc.) begins the real constructing of the Bulgarian stereotype of Europe, which is thought as attractive, but frustrating social and cultural model. V. Aprilov introduces new point of view, which spares the Bulgarian self-confidence by limiting the competition within the framework of the Slavonic Orthodox community. He also rearranges the civilizing paradigm and put the Bulgarian in the “classical” Slavonic beginning. Further, Rakovski, trained at the Greek Enlightenment tradition, copies its matrix of forming a national identity. On the other hand, using the achievements of the contemporary humanitarian science, he strives for proving that the beginning of the Hellenistic Antiquity, as well as of the (Indo-) European civilization may be searched in the Arian heritage, whose most authentic successors are the modern Bulgarians. That turns Hellas, as well as Europe into Bulgarian cultural “colonies”.