Historical Re-enactments of the “Heroic Times”: Performance and Affect
Historical Re-enactments of the “Heroic Times”: Performance and Affect

Summary/Abstract: Historical re-enactments have gradually become an indispensable element of public ceremonies and rituals commemorating the late 19th century national struggles for political independence in Bulgaria. Customarily accounted for as phenomena of popular culture or as manifestations of “banal nationalism”, historical re-enactments appear still rather understudied in Bulgaria, especially in terms of their performative aspects and affective power. The paper attempts to outline a research agenda for an anthropological study of the historical re-enactments of the “heroic times”, inspired by the theoretical insights of the recent performative and affective turns in the social sciences and humanities. The lines of inquiry, outlined in this paper, focussed on the viewpoint of the re-enactors, include: personal motivation, collective cause, and emotions aroused by the experience; attitude towards the public; spectacularity, theatricality and performance; scenographic and dramaturgical aspects; authenticity and historical accuracy concerns. The analysis is based on comments in specialized online forums for historical re-enactments in Bulgaria.

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