Ethnographic Institute and Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
After the fall of the communist regime in 1989 Bulgaria was in poor condition. The economic and social crisis had influenced on the Bulgarian minorities – especially Turks. Their economic status has dropped sharply after 1989. The reasons for this lie in the fact that the transition to the market economy has led to high inflation and unemployment rates, restrictive credit and taxing policies, as well as low production levels. The regions with a mixed population are characterized by less investments and lower income levels, as well as higher dependence on state subsidies, as compared to the average values for the country as a whole. The less developed infrastructure, the privatisation of the land, and the differences in the educational and professional profiles of the Turkish minority communities affect adversely the constantly worsening economic status of these communities. After 1989, the state withdrew its support for the small textile and sewing companies, established in the regions with a mixed population, while the constant problems in the field of tobacco production and grain production additionally weigh down the economic status of the Turkish minority.
The critical economic situation and the limited employment market in Bulgaria have forced the Turkish population to seek other ways to provide for its food. New migration practices appeared after 1989 among the ethnic Turks. These are directed along two lines – the EU and Turkey. In this paper I would like to discuss in more detail their seasonal migration to Western Europe. It has to be noted that the job migration is not something new for the Bulgarian Turks, who have had long-term traditions in practicing the same within the framework of the Bulgarian State.
The groups of Bulgarian Turks is very interesting because they are quite mobile and they are moving constantly between Bulgaria/Turkey and the West. This migration is reflected on their new “modern” identities. The main countries of destination for the search for jobs of the Turks in Western Europe are France, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Holland, and Sweden. This migration grew even more after the discontinuation of the requirements to hold a visa for Bulgarian citizens since April 2001.
The objectives of the present paper are to:
1. Present the attitude of the emigrants.
2. Define and explain the general image of European Union and the “West” through the eyes of Bulgarian Turks.
3. The influence of the migration on the culture and life style of Bulgarian Turks.
4. Register changes in Bulgarian Turks` identification strategies, which occur during their adaptation in the new country and after their return in Bulgaria.
Main methods and research techniques
In the proceeding of the paper realization will be used the classic ethnological methods: face-to-face interview, autobiographical stories of respondents, observation of everyday life
and behaviour and estimate of the relationships in the community’s boundaries. An inquiry will be made to give a general picture of this ethnical group.
The interpretation of the fieldwork results will be present only through respondents` point of view. The author’s opinion and explanation will be maximally reduced. The final science results of the research will be interpreted in accordance with the modern ethnic boundaries, identity and nation concept.
The paper foresees a round of fieldwork researches among Bulgarian Turks, emigrants. I’ll try to present Turks from different social groups, age and sex who live in capital, small town and village. I’ll compare the data with information in Bulgarian media and Internet.
Aims
In my paper I look for answers to several questions: 1. What are the reasons and ways for migration?
2. What is the type of migration – seasonal work or permanent residence/legal or illegal/male, female or family;
3. How emigrants do choose their new settlement city – job possibilities, relatives and so on? If Bulgarian Turks establish their own “colonies” in the larger Western European cities=
4. How do they change their life style?
5. How do Bulgarian Turks look “West” - the Western cities image, the emigrant’s shock from the big cities and new, different culture?
6. How do emigrants adapt in new society?
7. If the emigration has influence on their community culture?
8. If there are changes in their identity? I’m trying to register changes in Bulgarian Turks` identification strategies, which occur during their adaptation in the new country and after their return in Bulgaria.
Working Hypothesis
I want to present several working suppositions:
1. I think that Bulgarian Turks emigrate especially for economic reasons. We can talk about male seasonal, illegal migration, not for official, legal migration.
2. Bulgarian Turks chose Western cities according their relative connections.
3. Most Turkish villages have already established their own “colonies” in the larger Western European cities and the reason for this lies in the belief that the joint employment migration with the common villagers provides a certain feeling of support and security in the foreign country.
4. The emigration influence on the local culture of Bulgarian Turks and their life style. 5. During emigration Bulgarian Turks feel themselves more “Bulgarians” and
“Europeans”.
Paper actuality
I think the paper “Emigration of Bulgarian Turks to European Union” is topical because there aren’t researches about emigration of Bulgarian Turks to the “West”. The paper is continuing my Ph.D. thesis about Bulgarian Turks, emigrants in Turkey and it will help to form a clear view of the emigration waves of the Turkish community. The paper is connected with the process of European Integration of Bulgaria and for this reasons it is necessary.