Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Effects of Shifting Borders on Ethnic Identity: The Case of Bulgarian Turks

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University of Pittsburgh doctoral student Hande Sozer, with guidance from Dr. Robert M. Hayden, will undertake research on how ethnic identity develops when ethnic groups are internally and externally fragmented. The focus of her research will be a case study of Bulgarian Turks. With the creation of the Ottoman-Bulgaria border in 1878, the Turkish population in Bulgaria took on a multifacted identity, divided not only by the border, but also, in both countries, by internal hierarchical divisions along religious lines (Alevi Muslim versus Sunni Muslim) and regional lines (whether they originated in northern or southern Bulgaria). The complexity of the situation of Bulgarian Turks provides an ideal opportunity for refining social science understanding of ethnic groups and boundaries.The researcher will investigate multiple aspects of the situation of Bulgarian Turks: How do members of a minority's different subgroups accommodate their disadvantages vis-à-vis other subgroups and in the broader society? Does it help or hinder them to maintain relations across borders and divisions? When, how, and why have members of some subgroups realized these connections while others did not? She will conduct archival research in Bulgaria and Turkey, and undertake ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observation and focused interviewing among Bulgarian Turks in two sites in Bulgaria (Razgrad and Kardjali) and one site Turkey (Bursa).Governments often develop policies that are based on the assumption of homogeneity within minority populations. This research will test those assumptions and, in so doing, contribute to better social science theory of ethnic differentiation and the effects of borders, as well as better policy for minorities. The award also contributes to the education of a social scientist.