South-West University Blagoevgrad “Neofit Rilski” was opened as a branch of Sofia’s “St. Climent Ohridski” University in 1975. In 1983, it became a separate entity under the name “Higher Pedagogical Institute”. In 1995, the university’s name was changed and given the name of the Bulgarian enlightener Neofit Rilski (1793-1881). By now, SWU Blagoevgrad takes in a leading position in the scientific and educational space both in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe, while its strategic location naturally facilitates the academic cooperation with a number of Universities in the Balkan region.
The Balkanistic Seminar at Blagoevgrad University was founded in 1990 aiming at contributing to the mutual understanding and research collaboration in the Balkans. The Seminar publishes the journal “Balkanistic Forum” and organizes annual conferences on Balkan anthropology.
Involved researchers:
The national coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kristina Popova is specialist in social history and gender studies.
Ass. Prof. Dr. Nurie Muratova is a specialist in archive studies and gender studies.
Ass. Prof. Dr. Milena Angelova is a specialist in social history and historical anthropology.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Petar Vodenicharov is specialist in sociolinguistics and social anthropology.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anastasiya Pashova is specialist in minority studies and intercultural education. She is the chairperson of the Balkan Society for Autobiography and Social Communication.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mariyana Piskova is specialist in archive studies and audio-visual documentation. She is the chairperson of the Multimedia Centre for Digital Archives and History of Local Self-government.
KEAC-BSR 