BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//CAS - ECPv6.7.0//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:CAS
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://cas.bg/en/
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for CAS
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:Europe/Sofia
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0200
TZOFFSETTO:+0300
TZNAME:EEST
DTSTART:20260329T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0300
TZOFFSETTO:+0200
TZNAME:EET
DTSTART:20261025T010000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260824T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260828T180000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260818T070721Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260818T071810Z
UID:22352-1787563800-1787940000@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Summer School of Ancient Near Eastern Studies
DESCRIPTION:The Department of Arabic and Semitic Studies at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” hosts \nSummer School of Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Sofia\nAugust 24–28\, 2026\, Sofia University\, Hall No. 1 at the Rectorate \nThe program is designed in collaboration with the University of Innsbruck\, the Regional History Museum – Sofia\, and the Center for Advanced Study Sofia. \nThe academic director and lecturer for the summer school is Dr. Zozan Tarhan (Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”). Guest lecturers for the program include Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sebastian Fink (University of Innsbruck)\, Senior Assistant Prof. Dr. Strahil Panayotov (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences)\, and Prof. Dr. Jelena Erdeljan (University of Belgrade). \nThe summer school offers foundational knowledge in the field of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (a discipline also known as Assyriology)\, specifically philological training in the basics of the Akkadian and Sumerian languages\, working with cuneiform texts\, and an introduction to the history\, culture\, and religion of Ancient Mesopotamia and certain other cuneiform cultures in the Middle East. \nMore information is available in the program.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/summer-school-of-ancient-near-eastern-studies/
LOCATION:Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Summer-School-of-ANES-2026-Poster-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260709T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260709T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260609T123841Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260706T075629Z
UID:21783-1783614600-1783621800@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Fellow seminar: The Poetics of Ruins: Fragmentation and Decomposition in Ukrainian War Poetry
DESCRIPTION:Max Rosochinsky (L&G Artistic Fellowship\, Mar – Jul ‘26) will present his project on: \nThe Poetics of Ruins: Fragmentation and Decomposition in Ukrainian War Poetry \n09 July 2026 (Thursday)\, 16:30 h. \nModerated by: Lyudmila Klasanova \nAbstract: This presentation examines urban ruination in contemporary Ukrainian war poetry\, where destroyed spaces and the lost ways of life they signify remain freshly present\, but not merely as objects of memory. Such poems\, I argue\, do not record ruined cities the way a photograph does\, as evidence of destruction that has already taken place. They rework that destruction in the material of poetic language: proper names decompose syllable by syllable\, the letters of the Ukrainian alphabet are imagined as bodies maimed by war\, and poetic form undergoes its own temporary decomposition. The poem witnesses by enacting. Its ruin is real but bounded: the reader enters it\, undergoes it\, and leaves it. Ukrainian war poetry belongs to a recurring history of catastrophe pressing upon language\, while resisting the grammar that cools an invasion into an occurrence and lets a city be destroyed with no one destroying it.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/fellow-seminar-art-truth-and-propaganda-in-the-digital-age-ukrainian-poetry-during-the-hybrid-war-and-beyond/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/edelfelt-larin-paraske.jpgLarge.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260707T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260707T180000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260615T084805Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260625T121518Z
UID:21803-1783441800-1783447200@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Guest lecture by Dr Blagoy Blagoev:  Organizations\, Political Ideology\, and Authoritarian Drift
DESCRIPTION:Dear CAS Fellows and colleagues\, \nWe are pleased to invite you to a guest seminar. The lecture will take place at the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia on 7 July 2026\, Tuesday\, at 16:30 GMT+3. The address is  7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, 2nd floor. \nDr Blagoy Blagoev (Institute for Work\, Organization\, and Transformation at the University of St.Gallen) will give a talk on the topic: \nOrganizations\, Political Ideology\, and Authoritarian Drift \nAbstract: This talk will outline an ongoing\, early-stage research project that interrogates the mechanisms\, dynamics\, and effects of the ideological encoding of organizational practices. The basic premise of the project is that political ideologies\, such as neoliberalism\, become encoded in apparently «neutral» or purely «rational» organizational practices\, such as performance management or meritocracies. These practices\, in turn\, shape the dispositions and desires of organizational members in ways that might\, paradoxically\, lead to an authoritarian drift: the desire for strong\, charismatic leadership that should «fix a broken system». Overall\, the project aims to examine how political ideologies are constituted and negotiated at work\, and specifically within organizations. \nBio: Blagoy Blagoev is Professor of Organization Studies and Director at the Institute for Work\, Organization\, and Transformation at the University of St.Gallen (Switzerland). He holds a doctoral degree from Freie Universität Berlin (Germany). Blagoy’s research draws on a temporal lens to examine the interplay of people\, organizations\, and society in the context of current technological\, ecological\, and cultural transformations. He has received multiple awards\, grants\, and fellowships\, including the Ernst Reuter Prize\, the Governing Responsible Business Fellowship at Copenhagen Business School\, as well as scholarships by DFG and DAAD.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/guest-lecture-by-dr-blagoy-blagoev/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/martin-sanchez-spvxoWZfPv8-unsplash-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260702T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260702T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260609T133020Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260622T091456Z
UID:21789-1783009800-1783017000@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Fellow seminar: The Church Statute by the Prince Volodymyr and the Historical Imaginations about Res Gestae of the Baptizer of Rus’ during the 14th -17th Centuries
DESCRIPTION:Yarsolav Zatyliuk (Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship Fellowship\, March – July 26′) will present his research on: \nThe Church Statute by the Prince Volodymyr and the Historical Imaginations about Res Gestae of the Baptizer of Rus’ during the 14th – 17th Centuries\n2 July 2026 (Thursday)\, 16:30 \nModerated by: Bohdan Tsymbal \nAbstract: The text of the Church Statute is known to scholars in the form of various copies and editions. It is traditionally regarded as a mix of authentic decrees issued by the baptizer of Rus’\, whose originals have not been preserved. Accordingly\, scholars focused on reconstructing the original text from which its various versions later emerged. However\, my present project proposes a different set of research questions and approaches. First and foremost\, I suggest examining the Church Statute as a text that has no direct connection to the actual history of Prince Volodymyr. Instead\, I suggest considering this text within the framework of the history of ideas and Prince Volodymyr’s representations that circulated during the first centuries after the dissolution of princely Rus’ in the mid-13th century. At the same time\, the text reflects intellectual engagement with Byzantine canonical law collections (Nomocanon)\, an authoritative edition\, which arrived in Rus’ from Bulgaria in 1262. These issues are best explored by studying the oldest manuscripts containing the Church Statute and employing the methods of critical textual analysis.Another aspect of the research concerns cultural transfer and the peculiarities of historical writing throughout the post-Mongol Rus’ territories. Investigating the origins and history of Volodymyr’s Ustav is crucial for understanding the development of church structures following the collapse of Rus’ in the second half of the 13th century\, as well as the formation of new confessional\, political\, and cultural identities in early modern Ukraine and Muscovy.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/fellow-seminar-the-church-statute-by-the-prince-volodymyr-and-the-historical-imaginations-about-res-gestae-of-the-baptizer-of-rus-during-the-14th-17th-centuries/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-09-at-16-28-52-Vladimir-I-Biography-Accomplishments-Facts-Britannica.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260625T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260625T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260609T123403Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260622T114413Z
UID:21777-1782405000-1782412200@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Fellow seminar: Soviet Counterintelligence in Dnipropetrovsk: Secrecy\, Control\, and Industrial Espionage (1950s–1960s)
DESCRIPTION:Svitlana Pavlenko (Gerda Henkel Fellowship\, Mar – Jul ‘26) will give a talk on her study on: \nSoviet Counterintelligence in Dnipropetrovsk: Secrecy\, Control\, and Industrial Espionage (1950s–1960s)\n25 June 2026 (Thursday)\, 16:30 h. \nModerated by: Oleksandr Kryvobok \nAbstract: Based on declassified documents from the Sectoral State Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine in Kyiv and the Archive Department of the Security Service of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk Region\, this study examines the activities of Soviet state security organs in Dnipropetrovsk (today Dnipro) during the 1950s and early 1960s\, with particular attention to Plant No. 586 and Plant No. 933. \nThe archival evidence demonstrates that long before the city was officially closed to foreigners in 1959\, Dnipropetrovsk already functioned as a semi-closed city. Concerns about the protection of information and maintaining control gradually led to increasing restrictions on foreign movement within the city. By analyzing surveillance operations\, counterintelligence activities\, foreign contacts\, and industrial intelligence\, the research demonstrates how Soviet authorities attempted to maintain strict control over information while simultaneously using foreign contacts to acquire valuable scientific and industrial knowledge. \nThe presentation examines the local KGB structure\, its networks of residents\, agents\, and informants\, as well as cases of information leakage\, security breaches\, and disciplinary violations. Special attention is paid to the 1959 operation of Agent “Lux\,” who was sent to Dnipropetrovsk to test the effectiveness of local secrecy measures and identify possible channels of information leakage.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/fellow-seminar-soviet-counterintelligence-in-dnipropetrovsk-secrecy-control-and-industrial-espionage-1950s-1960s/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/C44A03AE-6A3C-4EA3-8590-47AB834A51AF.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260618T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260618T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260609T122757Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260609T122853Z
UID:21770-1781800200-1781807400@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Fellow seminar: Buddhist-Christian Interactions between Tibet\, Italy\, and Bulgaria: The Wheel of Life in Alphabetum Tibetanum (1762) and Its Possible Influence on Zahari Zograf’s Mural at the Transfiguration Monastery (1849-1850)
DESCRIPTION:Lyudmila Klasanova (BG-Swiss Fellowships for Bulgarian Academic Diaspora\, May – Jul ‘26) will talk on her project: \nBuddhist-Christian Interactions between Tibet\, Italy\, and Bulgaria: The Wheel of Life in Alphabetum Tibetanum (1762) and Its Possible Influence on Zahari Zograf’s Mural at the Transfiguration Monastery (1849-1850)\n18 June 2026 (Thursday)\, 16:30 h. \nModerated by: João Felipe Gonçalves
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/fellow-seminar-buddhist-christian-interactions-between-tibet-italy-and-bulgaria-the-wheel-of-life-in-alphabetum-tibetanum-1762-and-its-possible-influence-on-zahari-zografs-mural-at-the/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/zachary-zograff-preobrazhenski-manastir-401492-810x0-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260611T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260611T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260609T122204Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260609T122204Z
UID:21766-1781195400-1781202600@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Mykhailo Drahomanov Between Utopian Socialism and Nationalism: Political Thought and Transnational Cultural Networks in the 19th century Ukraine
DESCRIPTION:Bohdan Tsymbal (Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship Fellowship\, Mar – Jul ‘26) will present his research on: \nMykhailo Drahomanov Between Utopian Socialism and Nationalism: Political Thought and Transnational Cultural Networks in the 19th century Ukraine  \n11 June 2026 (Thursday)\, 16:30  \nModerated by Yaroslav Zatyliuk \nAbstract: The proposed project is situated within the broad framework of Ukrainian intellectual history in the second half of the 19th century. This was a period when Ukrainian lands were divided between two empires – the Austro-Hungarian and the Russian. The imperial situation profoundly influenced the political and cultural dynamics of Ukrainian intellectual life. It shaped competing ideological currents. These currents sought social and national emancipation. Two dominant vectors defined this intellectual landscape. One was socialism\, advocating for social equality. The other was nationalism\, striving for cultural and political self-determination. At the heart of these ideological developments was Mykhailo Drahomanov. His work and influence remain crucial for understanding the unique trajectory of the Ukrainian socialist movement. Drahomanov played a key role in articulating a vision of socialism. He adapted it to the realities of Ukraine’s stateless condition. He also adapted it to Ukraine’s struggle against imperial oppression. His intellectual legacy provides essential insights into the broader debates over the intersections of socialism and nationalism in the Ukrainian context. \n 
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/mykhailo-drahomanov-between-utopian-socialism-and-nationalism-political-thought-and-transnational-cultural-networks-in-the-19th-century-ukraine/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Mykhailo_Petrovych_Drahomanov_1870s.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260610T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260610T180000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260615T084114Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260615T084114Z
UID:21794-1781109000-1781114400@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Guest lecture by Dr Irina Sotirova and Dr Strahil Panayotov: Ghosts: Interdisciplinary Dialogue on Similarities and Differences between Mesopotamia and South Korea
DESCRIPTION:CAS Sofia will host a lecture by Dr Irina Sotirova and Dr Strahil Panayotov on Wednesday\, 10 June 2026\, at 16:30 at CAS Sofia. \nGhosts: Interdisciplinary Dialogue on Similarities and Differences between Mesopotamia and South Korea\nAbstract: Ghosts\, the disembodied remains of the dead\, have accompanied the living in Mesopotamia since the mythical creation of humankind and are attested on cuneiform tablets from at least 2500 BCE. They were normal phenomenon\, and remained a central concern of medical\, ritual\, and scholarly activity well into the Hellenistic period\, after the death of Alexander the Great in Babylon in 323 BC. Mesopotamian texts describe ghosts as literally “a pain in the neck\,” entering the human body through the ears and inflicting illnesses\, yet also as bearers of superior knowledge who can reveal the future. When a person dies violently\, receives no proper burial\, or the offerings are neglected\, these ghosts become malevolent\, return to the realm of the living\, and torment humans. \nKorean traditions\, though much later\, show striking parallels. Ghosts can be protective companions or dangerous\, vengeful beings\, and this ambivalence has generated a rich complex of rituals that remains vibrant today. Contemporary South Korea is one of the most spiritually active societies\, where animism\, fortune‑telling\, and an array of “superstitions” with deep historical roots flourish alongside rapid technological development. Far from disappearing\, the veneration and fear of ghosts have secured a lasting place in business\, politics\, medicine\, everyday decision‑making\, and concepts of social order. \nMesopotamian texts offer the most extensive written record on ghosts from the ancient Old World\, while South Korea represents an ultra‑modern nation still deeply shaped by very old beliefs. The comparison of these two contexts highlights how remarkably similar ideas about ghosts can arise in vastly different societies\, pointing to possible universal features of human imagination and the ways communities negotiate death\, memory\, and the unseen. \nBio: Irina Sotirova is Associate Professor in the Department of Korean Studies at Sofia University. Her research focuses on classical texts and the transmission of knowledge along the Silk Road\, with particular emphasis on the circulation of astronomical knowledge and astrological beliefs between East and West. She is also the Bulgarian translator of Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk Yusa)\, a foundational thirteenth-century Korean historical source that preserves a rich collection of Buddhist narratives\, legends\, and mythological traditions.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/guest-lecture-by-dr-irina-sotirova-and-dr-strahil-panayotov-ghosts-interdisciplinary-dialogue-on-similarities-and-differences-between-mesopotamia-and-south-korea/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CAS-10.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260604T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260604T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260216T135054Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260622T091546Z
UID:21303-1780590600-1780597800@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Fellow seminar: Holidays in the Military Everyday Life of the First World War (Based on Materials from Ego-Sources of Eastern European Countries)
DESCRIPTION:Oleksandr Kryvobok (Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship Fellowship\, Mar – Jul ‘26) will present his research on: \nHolidays in the Military Everyday Life of the First World War (Based on Materials from Ego-Sources of Eastern European Countries)\n4 June 2026 (Thursday)\, 16:30 h. \nModerated by: Mykola Homanyuk \nAbstract: The growing attention to the study of everyday history\, microhistory\, human emotions and personal perception of events is a characteristic feature of modern historical science. The proposed report is dedicated to the celebration practices in conditions of total war\, their characteristics at the front and in the rear areas. Experiencing holidays was an important part of everyday life in wartime. Designed to unite people\, holidays during the war remained an island of time stopping\, nostalgia for the past\, and a source of resilience and emotional exchange. To highlight these details\, so-called personal sources or ego-documents are used (mostly diaries\, but also memoirs\, letters\, etc.)\, as those that directly convey the public atmosphere\, the emotions of the participants and the circumstances of the celebration of holidays. \nThe geographical boundaries of the study include the southern part of the Eastern Front of World War I\, Ukrainian and Polish lands on both sides of this front. The research addresses key investigative questions regarding how holiday celebrations reflect the war’s impact on society\, differences between front-line and civilian perceptions\, occupation policies\, psychological attitudes toward enemies\, and the interplay between traditional and modern cultural elements.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/fellow-seminar-holidays-in-the-military-everyday-life-of-the-first-world-war-based-on-materials-from-ego-sources-of-eastern-european-countries/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/evening-in-the-reserve-trenches.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260603
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260620
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260403T100244Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260403T100244Z
UID:21432-1780444800-1781913599@cas.bg
SUMMARY:CAS-ACLS – Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe (SISECSE) 2026
DESCRIPTION:The Centre for Advanced Study Sofia (CAS)\, in partnership with the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS)\, is pleased to announce this year’s Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe (SISECSE). CAS and ACLS will convene leading scholars from Eastern Europe and North America for a two-week residency in Blagoevgrad\, Bulgaria from 3 to 19 June 2026. \nIn addition to conducting their own research\, scholars will have the opportunity to participate in a series of immersive discussions on a broad topic of shared academic interest. \nIn 2026\, the institute’s discussions will explore “Autonomy\, Institutions\, and Transnational Networks.” Social institutions such as the church\, the state\, the military\, the press\, and the academy have had varying degrees of tolerance for the free exploration of new ideas and for societal change\, depending on time\, place\, and culture. Participants in the institute will consider a broad set of related questions: how has creative and intellectual freedom been constrained or tolerated in different East\, Central\, and Southeastern European contexts and why? In view of the sudden and dramatic shifts in the United States government’s stance on institutional autonomy\, what globally significant lessons can be learned from South\, East Central\, and Southeastern Europe? Recent political changes in the US have prompted reevaluation of the degree of creative and intellectual freedom afforded by different regimes. Taking the shift in the US into account\, what can we learn from past efforts to maintain strong transnational networks\, and about the role of these transnational networks in supporting intellectual and creative activity? \nThis program is made possible thanks to a generous donation by Carl and Betty Pforzheimer.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/cas-acls-summer-institute-for-the-study-of-east-central-and-southeastern-europe-sisecse-2026/
LOCATION:American University in Bulgaria\, Blagoevgrad\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/EFF1268.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260602T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260602T180000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260427T073256Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260427T073256Z
UID:21666-1780419600-1780423200@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Discussion Series “Economic and Social History”: Father Julian’s Memoirs of the Bulgarian Catholics in the Diocese of Nikopol (1924–1949)
DESCRIPTION:Please note: this event is in Bulgarian! \nWe would like to invite you to the upcoming lecture\, part of the seminar “Economic and Social History of Bulgaria: The Future through the Past Culture.” The discusssion series continues with a lecture by Prof. Raymond Detrez on the topic of “Father Julian’s Memoirs of the Bulgarian Catholics in the Diocese of Nikopol (1924–1949).” The event will take place at the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia on Tuesday\, 2 June 2026\, at 17:00. \nThe discussion series is convened by Martin Ivanov and Roumen Avramov. They are hosted by the Cente for Advanced Study Sofia.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/discussion-series-economic-and-social-history-father-julians-memoirs-of-the-bulgarian-catholics-in-the-diocese-of-nikopol-1924-1949/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/economic-history-en.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260528T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260528T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260324T140619Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260324T140619Z
UID:21408-1779985800-1779993000@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Fellow seminar: Dmytro Čyževskyj / Dmitrij Tschižewskij. Writing An Intellectual Biography of a Cultural Historian with the "Complete Atrophy of National Sentiment"
DESCRIPTION:Andrii Portnov (Gerda Henkel Fellowship\, Oct ‘25 – Jul ‘26) will present his research on: \nDmytro Čyževskyj / Dmitrij Tschižewskij. Writing An Intellectual Biography of a Cultural Historian with the “Complete Atrophy of National Sentiment”\n28 May 2026\, 16:30 h \nModerated by: Zozan Tarhan \n 
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/fellow-seminar-dmytro-cyzevskyj-dmitrij-tschizewskij-writing-an-intellectual-biography-of-a-cultural-historian-with-the-complete-atrophy-of-national-sentiment/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260521T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260521T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260216T135448Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260518T082100Z
UID:21309-1779381000-1779388200@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Fellow seminar: Negotiating Otherness: Hindu-Inspired Spirituality in Bulgaria Between External Representation and Internal Self-Legitimation
DESCRIPTION:Zornitsa Petrova (BG-Swiss Fellowships for Bulgarian Junior Scholars\, Oct ‘25 – Jul ‘26) will present her research on: \nNegotiating Otherness: Hindu-Inspired Spirituality in Bulgaria Between External Representation and Internal Self-Legitimation\n21 Мау 2026 (Thursday)\, 16:30 h. \nModerated by: Andrii Portnov \nAbstract: The proposed project examines dynamics within the religious field of Bulgaria\, placing particular emphasis on the position of New Religious Movements (NRMs)\, their public portrayal and self-understandings. Examining their perceived otherness – constructed mainly through media labelling and discursive exoticisation – offers insight into the boundaries of religious freedom and interreligious tolerance. The study argues that narratives of otherness are often articulated by the majority Eastern Orthodox Church\, as part of an effort to preserve its hegemonic position in the face of competing belief systems\, and are either reinforced or contested by secular media. These narratives are likely to affect the communities they target and thus prompt them to construct their own legitimation strategies in order to negotiate imposed otherness and accommodate themselves to the Bulgarian socio-cultural and religious context. \nAccordingly\, the main objective of this presentation is twofold. First\, it begins at the contextual macro level\, outlining the perceived historical role of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Bulgarian national identity and providing a brief overview of key themes and linguistic strategies used by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to depict minority religious movements in the country. The second part shifts to the micro level\, detailing preliminary results from a case study that examines the specific positioning of a Hindu-inspired NRM\, namely the International Society for Krishna Consciousness\, within the national setting. It explores its representation in both Orthodox rhetoric and secular media narratives\, and then presents observations and findings regarding the community’s self-understanding and self-legitimation strategies\, highlighting how it negotiates external framings and constructs a coherent sense of belonging within the Bulgarian religious field.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/fellow-seminar-constructing-otherness-new-religious-movements-and-the-challenge-of-pluralism-in-post-secular-bulgaria-2/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ledeno-horo.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260520T173000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260520T190000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260514T072133Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260514T072133Z
UID:21748-1779298200-1779303600@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Advanced Academia Public Lecture Series: Dr Stefan Peychev - Hydrothermal Landscapes of the Central Balkans in the Early Modern Period: Water and Culture along the Diagonal Route
DESCRIPTION:Please note: this event is in Bulgarian! \nThe thirteenth cycle of the CAS Public Lecture Series will be held between 22 April and 20 May at the American Corner of the Sofia City Library at 4A Slaveykov Square. You are cordially invited to attend the lectures of the junior and senior Bulgarian Fellows of the 2024/2025 academic year. \nDr Stefan Peychev will present on the following topic: \nHydrothermal Landscapes of the Central Balkans in the Early Modern Period: Water and Culture along the Diagonal Route\non 20 May 2026\, Wednesday\, 17:30 at the American Corner of the Sofia City Library\, 4A Slaveykov Square.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/advanced-academia-public-lecture-series-dr-stefan-peychev-hydrothermal-landscapes-of-the-central-balkans-in-the-early-modern-period-water-and-culture-along-the-diagonal-route/
LOCATION:American Corner of the Sofia City Library\, 4A Slaveykov Square\, Sofia\, 1000
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/nathan-dumlao-ewGMqs2tmJI-unsplash-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260514T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260514T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260216T134452Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260511T133317Z
UID:21299-1778776200-1778783400@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Fellow seminar: Patrimonial Power\, Plebiscitarian Legitimation and Post-Truth Politics: Explaining the Resilience of Authoritarian Populism in Turkey
DESCRIPTION:Tuba Eldem (Gerda Henkel Fellowship\, Oct ‘25 – Jul ‘26) will present her research on: \nPatrimonial Power\, Plebiscitarian Legitimation and Post-Truth Politics: Explaining the Resilience of Authoritarian Populism in Turkey\n14 Мау 2026 (Thursday)\, 16:30 h. \nModerated by: Magdalena Slavkova \nAbstract: This study explains authoritarian populist resilience by examining the long-term survival of Turkey’s AKP government over the past twenty-three years as a critical case. It argues that the durability of Turkey’s competitive authoritarian regime is best understood through the interaction of three mutually reinforcing mechanisms: patrimonialism\, populism\, and post-truth politics. Building on and extending Gerschewski’s three pillars of authoritarian survival\, the analysis demonstrates that each pillar assumes a distinctive configuration under populist rule in a competitive authoritarian context. Legitimation is sustained through plebiscitarian linkages and narratives anchored in victimization and securitization. Co-optation functions through entrenched patrimonial state–business networks\, extensive clientelism\, and a pragmatic flexibility that enables the ruling party to abandon old allies and integrate new coalition partners as political conditions evolve. Repression operates primarily through politically selective use of legal institutions within an epistemically manipulated environment\, where contested facts\, conspiracy narratives\, and securitized accusations serve to justify punitive state action. Drawing on a process-tracing methodology and longitudinal analysis of the AKP’s rule from 2002 to the present\, the study reconstructs how these three mechanisms have been sequentially activated\, mutually reinforced\, and recalibrated across successive political crises. Theoretically\, the study seeks to contribute to the comparative study of resilience of competitive authoritarian regimes  by offering a mid-range analytical framework that bridges literatures on “populism in power”\, authoritarian stability and post-truth politics.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/fellow-seminar-patrimonial-power/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/populism.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260513T173000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260513T190000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260514T071142Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260514T071636Z
UID:21737-1778693400-1778698800@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Advanced Academia Public Lecture Series: Dr Lubomira Popova - Is the “New” EU Enlargement Methodology Already Obsolete?
DESCRIPTION:Please note: this event is in Bulgarian! \nThe thirteenth cycle of the CAS Public Lecture Series will be held between 22 April and 20 May at the American Corner of the Sofia City Library at 4A Slaveykov Square. You are cordially invited to attend the lectures of the junior and senior Bulgarian Fellows of the 2024/2025 academic year. \nDr Lubomira Popova (Sofia University)\, will present on the following topic: \nIs the “New” EU Enlargement Methodology Already Obsolete?\non 13 May 2026\, Wednesday\, 17:30 at the American Corner of the Sofia City Library\, 4A Slaveykov Square.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/advanced-academia-lubomira-popova/
LOCATION:American Corner of the Sofia City Library\, 4A Slaveykov Square\, Sofia\, 1000
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/nathan-dumlao-ewGMqs2tmJI-unsplash-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260507T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260507T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260216T133911Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260312T110206Z
UID:21292-1778171400-1778178600@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Fellow seminar: Ghosts and Treasures: The Senses of the Great War in Paraguay
DESCRIPTION:João Felipe Gonçalves (Relevance of the Humanities Fellowship\, Mar – Jul ‘26) will present his research on: \nGhosts and Treasures: The Senses of the Great War in Paraguay\n07 Мау 2026 (Thursday)\, 16:30 h. \nModerated by: Zornitsa Petrova
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/fellow-seminar-151/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/la-historia-de-la-gran-3.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260430T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260430T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260216T133535Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260427T071218Z
UID:21286-1777566600-1777573800@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Fellow seminar: Talking Streams
DESCRIPTION:Marie DuPasquier (L&G Artistic Fellowship Mar – May ‘26) will present her work on: \nTalking Streams\n30 April 2026 (Thursday)\, 16:30 h. \nModerated by: Radoslava Kuneva \nAbstract: Waterways that flow through large cities are living sources of history\, urban planning\, waste-water or drinking water management policies\, but they also reflect local mindsets and practices over time. It is a social and cultural fabric around rivers\, canals\, and water sources and can give rise to biographical\, phantasmagorical or futuristic tales. Urban water constitute as much a local place for life and imagination as it is a resource with broader ecological and geopolitical stakes. During the residency in Sofia\, I aim to explore this field by walking along the banks of the rivers of the city\, mainly the Perlovska river\, in the form of strolls with local artists\, architects\, curators\, and scientists. Talking Streams is a curatorial research project that seeks to create a collective mental map of waterways and gather various voices into a sound archive\, emphasizing the life and thoughts that develops within and around the streams.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/fellow-seminar-topic-to-be-confirmed/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/morphology-philosophy.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260429T173000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260429T190000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260427T071934Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260427T073416Z
UID:21658-1777483800-1777489200@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Advanced Academia Public Lecture Series: Dr Konstantin Georgiev - “The Most Horrible Experience”: The Emotional Discourse on Police Violence in Bulgaria
DESCRIPTION:Please note: this event is in Bulgarian! \nThe thirteenth cycle of the CAS Public Lecture Series will be held between 22 April and 20 May at the American Corner of the Sofia City Library at 4A Slaveykov Square. You are cordially invited to attend the lectures of the junior and senior Bulgarian Fellows of the 2024/2025 academic year. \nDr Konstantin Georgiev (New Bulgarian University\, Sofia)\, will present on the following topic: \n“The Most Horrible Experience”: The Emotional Discourse on Police Violence in Bulgaria\non 29 April 2026\, Wednesday\, 17:30 at the American Corner of the Sofia City Library\, 4A Slaveykov Square.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/advanced-academia-public-lecture-series-dr-konstantin-georgiev/
LOCATION:American Corner of the Sofia City Library\, 4A Slaveykov Square\, Sofia\, 1000
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/nathan-dumlao-ewGMqs2tmJI-unsplash-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260428T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260428T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260310T123514Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260310T123514Z
UID:21348-1777395600-1777401000@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Discussion Series "Economic and Social History": Spoils of War: The Repatriation of Children in the post-1918 Balkans
DESCRIPTION:Please note: this event is in Bulgarian! \nWe would like to invite you to the upcoming lecture\, part of the seminar “Economic and Social History of Bulgaria: The Future through the Past Culture.” The discusssion series continues with a lecture by Prof. Theodora Dragostinova (Ohio State University) on the topic of “Spoils of War: The Repatriation of Children in the post-1918 Balkans.” The event will take place at the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia on Tuesday\, 28 April 2026\, at 17:00. \nAbstract: This presentation will focus on one thousand children from the Balkan borderlands to tell the stories of displaced children and divided families during the Great War and its aftermath. By analyzing how governments\, humanitarian organizations\, and families acted on behalf of these unaccompanied minors\, the lecture will explain how children become “spoils of war” rhetorically\, physically\, and emotionally. \nThe discussion series is convened by Martin Ivanov and Roumen Avramov. They are hosted by the Cente for Advanced Study Sofia.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/discussion-series-economic-and-social-history-spoils-of-war-the-repatriation-of-children-in-the-post-1918-balkans/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/economic-history-en.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260423T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260423T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260216T133206Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260423T124415Z
UID:21284-1776961800-1776969000@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Fellow seminar: Women’s Work and (Un)equal pay: The Gender Pay Gap in Bulgarian Industry\, 1910s–1940s
DESCRIPTION:Ivelina Masheva (BG-Swiss Fellowships for Bulgarian Junior Scholars\, Oct ‘25 – Jul ‘26) will present her research on: \nWomen’s Work and (Un)equal pay: The Gender Pay Gap in Bulgarian Industry\, 1910s–1940s\n23 April 2026 (Thursday)\, 16:30 h. \nModerated by: Olena Uvarova \nAbstract: The presentation investigates the gender wage gap in Bulgarian industry during the first half of the twentieth century. Chronologically\, it begins in the pre–World War I period\, when relatively reliable statistics first became available\, and concludes in the mid-1940s with the establishment of the state socialist regime. The research focuses on gender wage differentials—that is\, the gap between men’s and women’s wages in industrial employment. Preliminary findings suggest that this gap narrowed significantly over the period. Accordingly\, the project addresses the following central research question: how and why did men’s and women’s wages in Bulgarian industry converge between the 1900s and the 1940s? \nThe first objective of the project is to trace the year-by-year evolution of the gender wage gap in Bulgarian industry from the early twentieth century through the end of World War II\, insofar as the available statistics permit. In addition to outlining the overall trajectory of the wage gap and its fluctuations over time\, the analysis examines internal variations by disaggregating the data by age\, economic sector\, and other relevant categories. The second objective is to analyse how socio-economic and political contexts shaped industrial wages in gendered ways. To this end\, the project explores factors such as wars\, economic crises\, technological change\, and regime shifts in order to explain observed changes in the gender wage gap.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/fellow-seminar-womens-work-and-unequal-pay-the-gender-pay-gap-in-bulgarian-industry-1910s-1940s-2/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/diego-rivera-el-sueno-la-noche-de-les-pobres-1932-scaled-1-1528x2048-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260422T173000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260422T190000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260414T131549Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260427T073409Z
UID:21458-1776879000-1776884400@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Advanced Academia Public Lecture Series: Dr Mariana Malinova - Ibn Taymiyyah’s (d. 1328) Concept of Translation
DESCRIPTION:Please note: this event is in Bulgarian! \nThe thirteenth cycle of the CAS Public Lecture Series will be held between 22 April and 20 May at the American Corner of the Sofia City Library at 4A Slaveykov Square. You are cordially invited to attend the lectures of the junior and senior Bulgarian Fellows of the 2024/2025 academic year. \nDr Mariana Malinova (New Bulgarian University\, Sofia) will present on the following topic: \nIbn Taymiyyah’s (d. 1328) Concept of Translation\non 22 April 2026\, Wednesday\, 17:30 at the American Corner of the Sofia City Library\, 4A Slaveykov Square. \n 
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/advanced-academia-public-lecture-series-dr-mariana-malinova/
LOCATION:American Corner of the Sofia City Library\, 4A Slaveykov Square\, Sofia\, 1000
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/nathan-dumlao-ewGMqs2tmJI-unsplash-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260421T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260421T180000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260414T095202Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260414T095202Z
UID:21448-1776790800-1776794400@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Discussion Series “Economic and Social History”: Harold Moulton and Leo Pasvolsky on Bulgaria and European Economic Problems After World War I
DESCRIPTION:Please note: this event is in Bulgarian! \nWe would like to invite you to the upcoming lecture\, part of the seminar “Economic and Social History of Bulgaria: The Future through the Past Culture.” The discusssion series continues with a lecture by Dr Mihail Raev on the topic of “Harold Moulton and Leo Pasvolsky on Bulgaria and European Economic Problems After World War I.” The event will take place at the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia on Tuesday\, 21 April 2026\, at 17:00. \nAbstract: This report provides an overview of the ideas of Harold Moulton and Leo Pasvolsky regarding the economic challenges faced by both the victorious and defeated European nations following World War I. Moulton and Pasvolsky were among the founders of the Institute of Economics\, established by philanthropist Robert Brookings with the assistance of the Carnegie Foundation in 1922. Moulton was a professor at the University of Chicago\, while Pasvolsky had a rather interesting academic and journalistic career before joining the Institute\, which would later become the Brookings Institution we know today.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/discussion-series-economic-and-social-history-harold-moulton-and-leo-pasvolsky-on-bulgaria-and-european-economic-problems-after-world-war-i/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/economic-history-en.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260417T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260417T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260324T140341Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260414T094517Z
UID:21402-1776445200-1776450600@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Guest seminar: How to get Married Correctly. Inter-Religious Marriages among Bulgarian Catholics between Social Customs\, Doctrinal Requirements and Political Pressure (17th-18th Centuries)
DESCRIPTION:Lena Sadovski (Austrian Academy of Sciences) will give a talk on her recent research: \nHow to get Married Correctly. Inter-Religious Marriages among Bulgarian Catholics between Social Customs\, Doctrinal Requirements and Political Pressure (17th-18th Centuries)\n17 April 2026\, Friday\, at 17:00 \nAbstract: In my talk I will address the Catholic minority in Ottoman Bulgaria in the 17th and 18th century by focussing on a crucial element of social and personal life: weddings and marriages. Far from being just a personal choice of two people living together and founding a family\, marriages structured societies. Weddings\, in turn\, were important social events that could also turn controversial in a religious and political sense – especially in a multi-confessional and multi-religious society such as the Bulgarian one in the early modern period. As a religious minority\, the Bulgarian Catholic were pinned between a majority Orthodox Christian population and the ruling Muslim Ottomans. Based on a wide array of archival documents\, I will show how marriages and weddings were organized in this setting\, in how far religiously mixed marriages were possible\, how the Catholic missionaries attempted to enforce ‘correct’ Catholic practices by implementing the Tridentine Reforms – and how they failed –\, and which role the secular administration and the Ottoman courts played for Catholics when getting married. Next to clandestine marriages\, divorce\, polygamy\, and adultery\, we will thus see how Catholic and Orthodox spouses could get married in front of the Ottoman kadi or hodja\, and what the reaction of the Roman Catholic Church was to such ‘un-Catholic’ behaviour. \nModerated by: Zozan Tarhan
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/guest-seminar-how-to-get-married-correctly-inter-religious-marriages-among-bulgarian-catholics-between-social-customs-doctrinal-requirements-and-political-pressure-17th-18th-centuries/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/StSt.UU09_33.13_r-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260416T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260416T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260216T132737Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260310T124446Z
UID:21279-1776357000-1776364200@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Fellow seminar: Ukraine’s Ethnic Minorities during the War: Adaptation to Crisis\, Belonging\, Identity Preservation
DESCRIPTION:Mykola Homanyuk (Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship Fellowship\, Mar – Jul ‘26) will present his research on: \nUkraine’s Ethnic Minorities during the War: Adaptation to Crisis\, Belonging\, Identity Preservation\n16 April 2026 (Thursday)\, 16:30 h. \nModerated by: Zozan Tarhan
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/fellow-seminar-150/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Ukraine-II-WW.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260402T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260402T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260216T132022Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T112238Z
UID:21271-1775147400-1775154600@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Fellow seminar: Wild nature in Post-socialist cities – Imaginations and Social Constructions of the Wild Nature in the Context of Climate Change and Environmental Crises in Southeastern Europe
DESCRIPTION:Radoslava Kuneva (BG-Swiss Fellowships for Bulgarian Junior Scholars\, Oct ‘25 – Jul ‘26) will present her research on: \nWild nature in Post-socialist cities – Imaginations and Social Constructions of the Wild Nature in the Context of Climate Change and Environmental Crises in Southeastern Europe. The case of Boyana marsh in Sofia and Văcărești park in Bucharest\n02 April 2026 (Thursday)\, 16:30 h. \nModerated by: Ivelina Masheva \nAbstract: The research aims at exploring how nature in urban settings has been constructed as wild for its protection in the case of two post-socialist cities in Southeastern Europe. Focusing on Sofia and Bucharest\, the research critically assesses the processes of “renaturalisation” and “rewilding” of the urban. The Boyana Marsh in Sofia\, a natural wetland under pressure from private development\, and Văcărești Nature Park in Bucharest\, a wetland emerging from an abandoned socialist-era artificial lake project\, share distinct physical histories yet have converging meanings as unique urban wildlands in the city\, important for sustainable development and refuge for non-human species. The study is using critical cultural and urban studies approaches\, such as oral history and discourse analysis. \nDuring the seminar\, I will present the initial findings from the field research and the challenges encountered.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/fellow-seminar-wild-nature-in-post-socialist-cities-imaginations-and-social-constructions-of-the-wild-nature-in-the-context-of-climate-change-and-environmental-crises-in-southeastern-europe/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/post-soc-cities-green.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260401T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260401T180000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260323T120907Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T121334Z
UID:21392-1775061000-1775066400@cas.bg
SUMMARY:CAS Discussion Series "Why Byzantium?": Byzantium in the Objectiff: Nikodim Kondakov\, Jean-X. Raoult and their Photographic Expedition to Sinai
DESCRIPTION:The Centre for Advanced Study Sofia hosts a discussion series under the theme “Why Byzantium?”\, hosted by Ival Billiarski. \nWe will convene for a lecture on the following topic: \nByzantium in the Objectiff: Nikodim Kondakov\, Jean-X. Raoult and their Photographic Expedition to Sinai\nLecturer: Dr Elena Boeck\n1 April 2026\, Wednesday\, 16:30 \nAbstract: Nikodim Kondakov (1844-1925)\, arguably the greatest art historian of the Russian empire\, provided a new impetus to the study of Byzantine art. During decades of rigorous travels\, he documented and introduced into scholarship previously unknown Byzantine monuments by embracing the power and promise of archaeological photography. The academic impact of Kondakov’s publications was greatly enhanced by the participation of a brilliant French photographer\, Jean-Xavier Raoult (ca. 1835 – ca. 1890). This presentation analyzes their most challenging venture\, the expedition to Sinai in 1881. This journey contributed to advancing a more objective conception of Byzantine art via the collaboration between archaeology and photography. As a key example of how the Kondakov-Raoult partnership advanced the state of the art of academic knowledge\, this presentation also analyzes the historiographic importance of the earliest extant photograph of the Transfiguration mosaic. \nBio: Elena N. Boeck\, (Ph.D.\, Yale) is an Associate Member of the Institute for SouthEast European Studies\, Romanian Academy. Her publications explore intellectual exchange in the Mediterranean and unconventional\, fascinating forms of engagement with Byzantium’s legacy. She is the author of The Bronze Horseman of Justinian in Constantinople: The Cross-Cultural Biography of a Mediterranean Monument (Cambridge University Press\, 2021) and Imagining the Byzantine Past: The Perception of History in the Illustrated Manuscripts of Skylitzes and Manasses (Cambridge University Press\, 2015). Between 2004 and 2025 she was Professor of History of Art and Architecture at DePaul University (USA). She held appointments as the Excellence Initiative Professor at Radboud University\, Director of Byzantine Studies at Dumbarton Oaks\, and CAS fellow (2022).
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/cas-discussion-series-why-byzantium-byzantium-in-the-objectiff-nikodim-kondakov-jean-x-raoult-and-their-photographic-expedition-to-sinai/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/why-byzantium-en.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260331T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260331T180000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260323T120144Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T120144Z
UID:21386-1774976400-1774980000@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Discussion Series "Economic and Social History": Business Relations between the Trading Company "Hadzhi Mincho h. Tsachev and company" and the Tapchileshtov Brothers
DESCRIPTION:Please note: this event is in Bulgarian! \nWe would like to invite you to the upcoming lecture\, part of the seminar “Economic and Social History of Bulgaria: The Future through the Past Culture.” The discusssion series continues with a lecture by Dr Veselin Goranchev on the topic of “Business Relations between the Trading Company “Hadzhi Mincho h. Tsachev and company” and the Tapchileshtov Brothers.” The event will take place at the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia on Tuesday\, 31 March 2026\, at 17:00. \nAbstract: In its main part\, the presentation on the topic is based on information extracted from archival documents\, most of which are prepared in Greek. The earliest of them are from 1848. The information they contain gives reason to assume that the beginning of the business relations between the company “Hadzhi Mincho h. Tsachev and company” and the Tapchileshtov brothers was established at least in 1847. Contacts between the same business entities continued until the spring of 1855. The exchange of goods between the company “Hadzhi Mincho h. Tsachev” and the Tapchileshtov brothers was bilateral. It includes a number of raw materials and goods: metals (mainly copper)\, skins\, raw silk\, animal fats\, caviar\, coffee\, etc. The Tapchileshtov brothers (mainly Hr. Tapchileshtov) provided serious assistance to Hadzhi Mincho h. Tsachev (respectively of the company “Hadji Mincho h. Tsachev”) in the process of buying up state revenue sources.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/discussion-series-economic-and-social-history-business-relations-between-the-trading-company-hadzhi-mincho-h-tsachev-and-company-and-the-tapchileshtov-brothers/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/economic-history-en.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260326T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260326T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260216T130024Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260324T135137Z
UID:21266-1774542600-1774549800@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Fellow seminar: Espionage Triangle or Hegelian Triad? The Hidden Logic of the Georgiev Spy Case
DESCRIPTION:Brian Boeck (Relevance of the Humanities Fellowship\, Mar – Jul ‘26) will present his research on: \nEspionage Triangle or Hegelian Triad? The Hidden Logic of the Georgiev Spy Case\n26 March 2026 (Thursday)\, 16:30 h. \nModerated by: Svitlana Pavlenko \nAbstract: As the sole defendant in one of last\, high-profile show trials conducted in communist Europe (1963)\, Ivan-Asen Georgiev is a fascinating figure. However\, his story has been interpreted for far too long from an intelligence perspective rather than a humanities one. My research presents Georgiev as a highly capable\, though idiosyncratic\, intellectual who believed that his espionage collaboration with the West would ultimately benefit both Bulgaria and the world.  By pairing wide-ranging archival evidence from Bulgaria with recently declassified documentation from American archives\, my project seeks to recover Georgiev’s unheralded contributions to the de-escalation of the Cold War and establish his important role in the wider history of American understanding of the socialist world.
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/fellow-seminar-espionage-triangle-or-hegelian-triad-the-hidden-logic-of-the-georgiev-spy-case/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/assen-georgiev-trial.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260319T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Sofia:20260319T183000
DTSTAMP:20261006T042242
CREATED:20260216T124912Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T080842Z
UID:21261-1773937800-1773945000@cas.bg
SUMMARY:Guest seminar: Ramparts of the Nation? National armies and State-and Nation-Building in Bulgaria\, Serbia\, and Montenegro after 1878
DESCRIPTION:John Paul Newman (Maynooth University\, Ireland) will give a talk on his recent research: \nRamparts of the Nation? National armies and State-and Nation-Building in Bulgaria\, Serbia\, and Montenegro after 1878\n19 March 2026\, 16:30 h. \nMy presentation is part of a larger project looking at the role of national armies in state- and nation-building in Southeastern and East-Central Europe in three critical post-conflict and post-imperial periods\, namely\, Southeastern Europe after the Russo-Turkish war (from 1978)\, Central Europe after the First World War (from 1918)\, and Finland and the Baltic states after the Russian civil war (from 1921). My paper will focus on the national armies in Bulgaria\, Serbia\, and Montenegro after 1878\, and it will interrogate the space between intention and historical reality. In these states\, the intention of political and military elites vis-à-vis the creation and development of national armies was clear: to create institutions not just of national defence but also as vehicles of institutional consolidation and of nation-building – primarily through the creation of a professional officer corps and through universal conscription. So much for the intention\, what was the reality? Did the officer corps of these states fully integrate\, or did they unbalance civil-military relations in favour of the latter? And did universal conscription really serve as a ‘school of the nation\, or was it in practice resented and resisted by significant parts of the population? What\, in short\, was the real role played by national armies in shaping states and societies in Southeastern Europe leading up to the First World War? \nModerated by: Brian Boeck
URL:https://cas.bg/en/event/guest-seminar-john-paul-newman/
LOCATION:Centre for Advanced Study Sofia\, 7B Stefan Karadzha St\, entr. 3\, Sofia\, ‎ ‎1000‎ ‎\, Bulgaria
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1730_map_of_the_Russian_Empire_by_Philipp_Johann_Strahlenberg.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR