Homeland, Nation, and Community
Homeland, Nation, and Community
The chapter explores the emergence of new ideas about community and belonging among Bulgaria’s Muslims. For many reformist Muslims the homeland was the most sacred ideal; it could be Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire or an abstract place. During the period under consideration “Muslim” was the most common term of self-designation regardless of the Muslims’ background. But at the beginning of the 20th century “Turk” started to acquire wider popularity within certain circles, while an argument between Turks and Tatars provides an opportunity to explore the different perceptions of identity. At the same time Bulgaria’s Muslims became increasingly aware of being part of a larger world in which many of their coreligionists shared similar challenges. The chapter looks specifically at the contacts with Crimean Tatars and the Muslims of Habsburg Bosnia, and visions of Pan Islamic unity. The chapter ends with the reactions to the Young Turk revolution.
Keywords: homeland, community, patriotism, nationalism, Turks, Tatars, Crimea, Bosnia, Pan Islam, Young Turk revolution
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