When a contribution in the sphere of science is transformed into the basis for subsequent in-depth research the boundaries between countries and continents seem to melt away – literally and figuratively. That is precisely what happened during a scientific conference “Fields and directions. Ethnomusicological, Folkloristic, and Anthropological Dimensions and Perspectives”, organized by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum and the Association the Unknown – Plovdiv, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Natalia Rashkova, a scholar with a visible presence in science with her numerous in-depth studies in various fields: musical anthropology, instrumental folk music performance, local ethnocultural and musical traditions, cultural identity and migration processes in Bulgarian folklore, with numerous publications in specialized journals in Bulgaria and abroad.

• Assoc. Prof. Natalia Rashkova: Globalization is a reason for additional interest in identities

The forum turned into a productive encounter between scholars from Poland, Romania, Germany, Kazakhstan and the US, and each of the thematic areas presenting projects – both completed and upcoming – for research in various spheres of science was based on the results of the many years of work by Natalia Rashkova.

“We have worked together with Natalia ever since we were at university. We have been to Sakar, Ivailovgrad, we have visited with the Bulgarian Catholics in Svishtov region, in the region of Tran, with the Bulgarians in Hungary, we have crossed the Southern border as well and have gone to see the heirs to the refugees from Eastern and Western Thrace. Many publications were born of this, one of the most important ones among them being “Folklore from Sakar”, the recordings from which are used to this day by the locals to revive their traditions,” Assoc. Prof. Valentina Raycheva said and added:

“Nothing can give a scholar more gratification than having their publications read, quoted, used as inspiration for new research and for opening up new horizons; there is nothing more gratifying than to educate, to train your own followers who will leave their mark in the sphere of science and continue what you have started – as have Natasha’s successful PhD students. If I can put her scientific contribution into three words I would say: “pathways, tracks, directions”.

The forum was a blend of in-depth reports and cordial words of gratitude, fond memories of past field study expeditions and a friendly atmosphere -  between colleagues, but also institutions of learning and whole organizations; the greeting cards from the Polish National Radio, the International Folklore Festival in Zakopane (Poland) and the Bulgarian communities abroad caused a flare of emotions in the hall.

On the first day of the two-day conference, Prof. Vladimir Penchev from the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum presented one of the most significant studies of the Bulgarian diaspora abroad, conducted together with Natalia Rashkova, and explained:

“Research work was conducted in Hungary and in Czechia and it was only logical to focus on Slovakia, and later on Austria, i.e. on closing the cycle of studies of the Bulgarian communities in Central Europe. On the other hand, there has always been an interest in Slovakia because of the Bulgarian gardeners living there. Let me just add that, just as in Hungary, in Slovakia there is an idea of protecting Bulgarian gardening – as intangible cultural heritage.”

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A little later, Assoc. Prof. Veselka Toncheva presented a future project based on some of Assoc. Prof. Rashkova’s studies but oriented towards some of the newest contemporary digital technologies using sensory systems which, when placed on the human body, will present information for an innovative study of traditional Bulgarian dancing.

The other thematic areas in the conference included logistics, musical practices, healthcare in the Kingdom of Bulgaria, Thracian weeding orchestras, bagpipe playing, the figure of the jester during the Middle Ages and even copyright in folklore performances and the emerging future problems connected with AI – all of them developed with the help of the discoveries made by Natalia Rashkova and used as a foundation by the scholars working on the territory of three continents.

Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
Photos: Desislava Shapkarova