Exhibition

Assimilation and Resistance of Muslim Women

Muslim women – Turks, Pomaks, and Roma – represent the most silent group in Bulgarian society, marginalized once as women and a second time as Muslims. Their resistance to totalitarian nationalism is the least studied, despite their significant participation in opposing it. In the course of this resistance, women’s networks of communication and solidarity are built – networks of collective action and of shared traumatic memory about persecution and repression. Both the individual acts of resistance by women and the formation and functioning of these women’s networks are of great importance, yet very little is known about them. In these policies, the authorities regard girls and women as the primary obstacle to their assimilationist and political goals.

The exhibition ‘Assimilation and Resistance of Muslim Women’ contains 18 posters. Presented are the politics of assimilation and prohibition of Muslim names and cloths and of Muslim rituals like circumcision in the 1960-es – 1980-es , as well as the different ways women resisted to these politics preserving their identity, their collective memory and individual dignity.  Several panels present women whose resistance was marked by exceptional courage, women who were persecuted and sent to prison: women from the villages of Kornitsa, Ribnovo and Barutin as well as distinguished personalities like Zeynep Zafer and Emine Kungiova. Photographs and parts of personal stories and memories are included in the posters in order to give voices to the Muslim women.

The exhibition Assimilation and Resistance of Muslim Women’ is part of the project ‚Political repressions of Muslim women during the Communist regime: women networks of resistance and civic rehabilitation’ of the NGO ‘Balkanistic Forum’, supported by the Bulgarian Fond of Women.

ASSIMILATION AND RESISTANCE OF MUSLIM WOMEN (АСИМИЛАЦИЯ И СЪПРОТИВА НА ЖЕНИТЕ МЮСЮЛМАНКИ)

CHRONOLOGY OF VIOLENCE AND RESISTANCE (ХРОНОЛОГИЯ НА НАСИЛИЕТО И СЪПРОТИВАТА)

PASSPORTIZATION (ПАСПОРТИЗАЦИЯ)

UNVEILING (РАЗФЕРЕДЖАВАНЕ)

TRADITIONAL CLOTHING (ТРАДИЦИОННО ОБЛЕКЛО)

OUR WOMEN REPELLED THE MILITIA…
Resistance against the name-changing campaign in the village of Ribnovo, 1964 (НАШИТЕ ЖЕНИ ОТБЛЪСНАХА МИЛИЦИЯТА… )

THE BARUTIN CASE (СЛУЧАЯТ БАРУТИН)

THE STATE AGAINST THE WOMEN OF KORNITSA (ДЪРЖАВАТА СРЕЩУ ЖЕНИТЕ НА КОРНИЦА)

“A WAR MUST BE DECLARED ON CIRCUMCISIONS”
The authorities against the religious ritual of circumcision of Muslim boys («ТРЯБВА ДА СЕ ОБЯВИ ВОЙНА НА ОБРЯЗВАНИЯТА»)

THE SLIVEN PRISON and the women who dared to circumcise their children (СЛИВЕНСКИЯТ ЗАТВОР)

EMINE THE BARBER against the ban on circumcision (БЕРБЕРКАТА ЕМИНЕ)

THE WOMEN FROM THREE REPRESSED FAMILIES (ЖЕНИТЕ ОТ ТРИ РЕПРЕСИРАНИ СЕМЕЙСТВA)

EXILED WITHOUT RELATIVES (ИЗСЕЛЕНИ БЕЗ БЛИЗКИ)

THE STATE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN (ATIDJE GETOVA) (ВЛАСТТА СРЕЩУ ЖЕНИТЕ И ДЕЦАТА)

ZEYNEP IBRAHIMOVA /ZAFER/ – LEARNING RESISTANCE (1973–1980) (ЗЕЙНЕП ИБРАХИМОВА /ЗАФЕР/ -УЧЕЙКИ СЕ НА СЪПРОТИВА (1973-1980))

ZEYNEP IBRAHIMOVA /ZAFER/ – INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZED RESISTANCE (1981–1987) (ЗЕЙНЕП ИБРАХИМОВА /ЗАФЕР/ – ИНДИВИДУАЛНА И ОРГАНИЗИРАНА СЪПРОТИВА (1981-1987))

ZEYNEP IBRAHIMOVA /ZAFER/ – ON THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL STAGE (1988–1989) (ЗЕЙНЕП ИБРАХИМОВА /ЗАФЕР/ – НА НАЦИОНАЛНА И МЕЖДУНАРОДНА АРЕНА (1988-1989))

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