The Changing Family of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Post-Soviet Space
The Changing Family of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Post-Soviet Space

Summary/Abstract: This paper analyses the changing family of Bessarabian Bulgarians under the conditions of land de-collectivization, economic collapse, mass seasonal and long term work migration, permanent migration of young people from villages to larger towns and cities – all characteristic features of the post-socialist reality after 1991. More specifically, it investigates the changes in the structure of families, the relationships inside the family, the status of women and young families. The survival strategies developed by Bessarabian families during economic crisis and unemployment are also studied. The research is based on data collected during an ethnographic field study in 2009 and 2010 in settlements with a predominantly Bulgarian population in Ukraine and Moldova. It is part of a three-year interdisciplinary project entitled “Bessarabian Bulgarians in the Post-Soviet Space – Culture, Policy, Identity” financed by the Scientific Research Fund of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science.

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