Five Essays on Bulgarian Museums and Communism

The fall of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe marked the beginning of the so-called transition period, which was smoother for some countries and troubled for others. In all cases, however, it was a period of revision and establishment of new social, political and environmental values, challenging and difficult to accept for the generation that lived for 45 years under those regimes. A period of complete denial of 45 years of existence was followed by nostalgia and finally by the acceptance that, whether we like it or not, communism forms part of our history and part of us all and cannot be just wiped without traces.
This book explores a three-way relationship : between Bulgarian museums, communism in its Bulgarian variation and Bulgarian society. It looks at how the regime influenced the development of the museum system but most importantly it looks at how communist museums influenced the audiences. The development and changes in the perception of museum visitors, their understanding and reactions are explored through their relationship with museums.
The link between the past, the present and the future of both museums and society is established by examining visitors' approach towards museums and the way history was and is represented in them.