Former Fellows

The main goal of this project is to rethink the concept of "minority integration" against the backdrop of Roma integration policies carried by the Bulgarian governments after 1999 as well as their outcomes. Such a critical reassessment requires a detailed analysis of the existing documents of the EU and the Bulgarian state which constitute the framework for the implemented policies together with the regular reports summarizing the results of their implementation. Central to my analysis is to problematize the notion of "Roma integration" in light of the following understanding: it is Bulgarian society that is disintegrated inasmuch as it encompasses individuals who are isolated and placed into a disadvantaged position because of their ethnic origins; the integration process is a process of integration of Bulgarian society on ethnic basis - this involves first and foremost dissolving the significance of ethnic origins/identity as a factor determining human interactions and relations, as a reason for group isolation, as something that defines individual destinies.