Reflections on a New Anthropological Study of Bulgarian Kinship

Abstract

This review presents a two-volume study devoted to kinship and its institutions in Bulgarian pre-industrial culture. Bringing together extensive ethnographic, historical, and ethnological material, the work offers a comprehensive analysis of one of the central themes of anthropology – kinship and its social organization. The authors examine the structures of blood and marital kinship (Vol. 1), as well as fictive and ritual kinship, including adoption, ritual brotherhood, and godparenthood (Vol. 2). Covering the period from the late eighteenth century to the early decades of the twentieth century, the study synthesizes decades of research on Bulgarian kinship and provides a valuable contribution to the anthropology and ethnology of Southeast Europe. Particular attention is paid to the typology, functions, and sociocultural significance of kinship relations, revealing both their historical continuity and their role in structuring community life.