To Play the Game of State

Abstract

The text examines the question of why, during the Ottoman period, certain distinctly Bulgarian villages evoked in their contemporaries a sense of “unrestricted freedom.” According to the author, the explanation lies in the privileges granted through special sultanic firmans and – above all – in the economic prosperity achieved by many of the villagers. Owing to their extensive commercial activities, they were able to travel across Europe and Asia, cultivating the self-perception of free individuals. Yet the confidence inherited from their forefathers ultimately proved insufficient for the younger generation, who aspired to possess a state of their own.
The illusion of statehood briefly emerged during the April Uprising – during “the drunkenness of a nation,” a moment in which freedom was realized as a form of play.