Miller, Christopher L. (2017) American missionaries and the formation of modern Bulgarian national consciousness. East European Quarterly, 45 (3-4). pp. 163-184. ISSN 0012-8449 (print), 2469-4827 (online)
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Following Ernest Gellner, this paper asserts that national consciousness is a modern phenomenon which arose in response to certain structural preconditions that came together differently in different national contexts. Furthermore, it suggests that this crystallization process is complex, involving the attainment of a tipping point at which time discrete semi-dormant processes merge into a dominant movement. It argues that in Bulgaria, one of the most influential factors in establishing these preconditions and the final tipping point was the publishing and educational work done throughout the nineteenth century by American Protestant missionaries. Six factors are identified as significant in this process: (1) the volume of print generated, (2) the massive distribution network for print materials, (3) the pricing strategy for these materials, (4) the establishment and management of modern schools, (5) the role played by the Americans in the process of orthographic standardization of modern Bulgarian, and (6) the creation through regular periodical publications of what Benedict Anderson describes as “unbound seriality”, a necessary component in forming modern national consciousness.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | national consciousness, printing, Complexity Theory |
| Subjects: | C Types of Christian Ministry > Missionaries G Christian traditions/Denominations > Eastern Orthodox G Christian traditions/Denominations > Evangelical |
| Divisions: | Balkan countries > Bulgaria |
| Depositing User: | Katharina Penner |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Aug 2024 06:25 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Aug 2024 06:25 |
| URI: | https://ceeamsprints.osims.org/id/eprint/3011 |
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