Reform, politics and culture among the Muslims in Bulgaria, 1878-1908

The dissertation examines the history of the Muslims in Bulgaria in the period 1878-1908 with a particular focus on the emergence and development of a cultural and political reform movement among them and the process of their political mobilization.;The modern Bulgarian state was founded in 1878 on former Ottoman territories and became the first Balkan Ottoman successor to inherit a considerable Muslim population accounting for more than a quarter of its inhabitants. After examining the experiences of the Muslims during the Russo-Ottoman War of 1877-78, the dissertation provides an overview of the status, organization and social background of the Muslim community in the aspiring Bulgarian nation-state. The core of the dissertation explores in detail the series of developments leading to the emergence of the reform movement, its ideology and initiatives, as well as the struggles between its supporters and the established community leadership. The study has sought to demonstrate how the reform initiatives and debates within the community played an important role in the emergence of modern political identity among many of its members. Furthermore, it has examined the links between the Muslim reform movement in Bulgaria and two other contemporary movements---among the Muslims in Austrian-occupied Bosnia and the Crimean Tatars in Russia. Along with that, the dissertation has sought to bring an insight into the activity of the Young Turk opposition groups and Bulgarian-Ottoman relations during the period under consideration.;The dissertation is based on Ottoman and Bulgarian archival sources and a variety of local Muslim periodicals. In such a way aspires to render a more complete and nuanced picture of events at the time.