Imagined or lost homeland? Representations of Crimea in the identity of Crimean Tatars in Vetovo, Bulgaria
Imagined or lost homeland? Representations of Crimea in the identity of Crimean Tatars in Vetovo, Bulgaria

Summary/Abstract: This essay discusses the diverse places, images and functions of the Crimean Peninsula within the identity of the demographically small Tatar community in present‑ day Vetovo, Bulgaria. Although the paper follows a multidisciplinary approach, anthropological fieldwork conducted with respondents of different profiles constitutes the backbone of the research. Based on Jan Assmann’s influential paradigm of „cultural memory”, the text places special emphasis on the various mechanisms of reproduction of different notions and representations across generations. Following this framework, the author argues that Crimea is experienced differently depending on the individual’s personal or family background. Nevertheless, in the long‑ term, the peninsula remains a main point of reference (as „the ancient homeland”) as well as a source of identification (because „we came from Crimea”) for the local community in the context of an assimilative, Turkish‑ dominated environment.

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