Zwischen Religion und Ideologie. Kyrill und Method als Erinnerungsort in Bulgarien vor und nach 1989
Between religion and ideology. Cyril and Methodius as remembrance icons in Bulgaria before and after 1989

Summary/Abstract: The saintly brothers Cyril and Methodius were and are one of the central topoi in the remembrance cultures of the Slavic nations. The relation of the histo-political employment of the Slavic apostles and religious tradition has had a sustained effect on the cultural selfdefinition and the politics of history in many East European States. The present article examines continuity and change of the remembrance icons Cyril and Methodius in the European context by means of the Bulgarian example. The notion of "Bulgaria's contribution to civilization" through the introduction and propagation of the Slavic alphabet, shaped and officially articulated by the Socialist State doctrine, not only became manifest in a distinct festival culture and symbolism. It also plays a central role in post-Socialist cultural and foreign politics. With Bulgaria joining the European Union in 2007, the functionalization and stylization of the Slavic apostles as integrating figures was reinforced. In the course of the political transformation of Slovakia, too, Cyril and Methodius were embedded in the nation building myth. This study shows the Cyril-Methodian tradition as opposed between national patterns of interpretation and a trans-national significance as an essential part of post-Communist remembrance cultures.

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