Nonka Bogomilova      

                               Project  Activities

 

I. Project activities regarding the preparation of the Draft and Final Research papers, and the Policy Brief:

 

1.Collection and analysis of the Project relevant studies:

 

Books related to the  religious situation  in contemporary Serbia and Montenegro, Republic of Bulgaria, Republic of  Macedonia, Spain and France; to the Law and Religion  studies

2003-2004 issues of the Journals  related to the  regional Religious studies

Legal texts and documents: Constitutions, Laws on Religion of Bulgaria and Macedonia, Draft Laws on Religion in Serbia and Montenegro: 2002, 2004 – July version, September version, March-April discussions

Sociological surveys of the religiosity in the studied countries

Internet resources

Observation of the media positions – newspapers, TV programmes –on the religion related topics in the studied countries; media content analysis

Work in the libraries of the Sociology Department at the Belgrade University; of the Philosophical faculty at the Montenegrin University in Nikshich, of the Central University libraries in Sofia, Madrid, Skopje.

 

2. Field research  in:

 

Town of Kubrat, Bulgaria, related to the religious co-existence between the Bulgarians and the Bulgarian Turks

Sofia, Bulgaria of the controversial BOC schism related events

Town of Kustendil, Bulgaria concerning the religious influence of the Adventists on the Roma population

Skopje, Madrid, Belgrade on the public opinion and attitudes, on the political and religious meetings

 

3. Interviews and conversations with colleagues and activists from academic, religious and  political circles, among them:

 

Prof. Dr R. Bigovich, well known Serbian theologian and Director of the Christian Cultural Center

Prof. Dr B. Shijakovich –a  member of the state Commission prepared  the  draft Law of Religious Freedom in Serbia and Montenegro and  Secretary of the Secretariat on Religious Confessions /2001-2002/

T. Brankovic, Adviser to the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Serbia and a member of the team preparing the recent version of the  Draft Law on Religious organizations

Prof. L. Jivkovich, deputy from Vojvodina region, Serbia

the Director of the Office for  relationships with Religious Communities in Macedonia, Dr Tz. Mojanoski 

Prof. J.Korubin Member of the team preparing the new Macedonian Law on Religion

Mr. G.Velichkovski- Member of the team preparing the new Macedonian Law on Religion

The Head of the Cultural-educational Center of the Islamic community in Macedonia, J. Selimovski

the Director of the Directorate for Religious Denominations in Bulgaria, Assoc.Prof. I.Zhelev

Dr S. Penov, Adviser to the Parliamentary Commission on Human rights and Religious Denominations in Bulgaria

Dr M. Vukomanovich, Associate Professor at the Philosophical Faculty of the Belgrade University, known sociologist of religion

Prof. Dr S. Vukichevich and Prof. Dr R.Bojovich , working on the problems of the Sociology of Society and Religion at the Philosophical Faculty in Montenegro

the Directors of the Library in the historical capital of Montenegro, Tzetinje

Dr R. Cacanoska and Dr. S. Sasaykovski, research associates at the Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Studies, in Skopje, Macedonia, sociologists of religion

Prof. Dr Z. Kuburic, Serbian sociologist of religion, Professor at the Theological Faculty in Belgrade and in University in Novi sad

Prof. Dr M.Serafimova, sociologist of religion, Head of Sociology Department in University of Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria

 

4. Visitation of sacred places of the religious communities  and observation of some religious services, rituals, celebrations:

Orthodox churches / in Sofia, Skopje, Belgrade, Podgoritza/, Catholic Cathedrals /in Madrid, Toledo/, Mosques/ in Sofia, Skopje, Podgoritza, Belgrade/, Synagogue/in Sofia, Belgrade, Madrid, Toledo/; most of the Protestant Churches in Skopje, Sofia, Belgrade and others.

 

5. Project Training Activities

 

Attendance of three Budapest training seminars

3 meetings with the Group Mentor Prof, Z. Enyedi and regularly exchanged information, consultations, etc.

3 meetings with the Individual Mentor Prof. I. Zhelev and regularly exchanged information, consultations, etc.

 

II. Publication Activities[1]

 

1.Publication of the Draft Research paper:

 

Problems of the State-Church Relations in Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia, and Bulgaria: Legal Texts and Social-Political context, In:  Teme”/“Topics”/, N1, 2005 -   journal of the  University of Nis, Serbia and Montenegro /in Bulgarian/                   

 

2.Publications on the Final Research paper and on the Policy Brief:

 

  1. Book:

Religion and Politics in the Balkans, Ed. Iztok-Zapad /LIK/, Sofia, 2005 /bi-lingual, under print/, due in September, 2005

 

  1. Papers:

 

The Legal Status of the Religious Communities in Bulgaria and the European  Standards, in: Religion in Multi-confessional and Multiethnic Society”, University of Novi sad, Serbia, 2005, in English 

 

State and Church Relationships in Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia, and Bulgaria – Political and Legal Developments, in: Religion and Politics, ed.of the South-Eastern University, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria , 2005,  in Bulgarian

 

The Religious Situation in Contemporary Bulgaria, and in Serbia and Montenegro: Differences and Similarities, in: Religion in Eastern Europe, Princeton Theological Seminary, N4, 2005, in English /under print/

 

 

3. Publications  in the research field of the Project:

 

Religious Changes and Globalization, in: Bulgaria in Global  Processes, Global Scholarly Publications, ed. V. Prodanov, New York, 2004

 

The “Christian” Europe: the West, the East, the Balkans, in: The Challenges Facing Philosophy  in the United Europe /International Varna  Philosophical School/, 2004

 

The Humane Soul and the Human Society in the Global World Religions, in: Religion and Globalization,YUNIR, Nis, 2005 /In English/

 

 

III. Conference presentations of  the Project related work and results:

 

International Varna Philosophical School “The Challenges Facing Philosophy  in the United Europe”, 1-3 June, 2004, Varna, Bulgaria /in English/

 

National Conference “Philosophy and Culture in the European Perspective”, University of National and World Economics, Sofia, Bulgaria, December 10, 2004 /in Bulgarian/

International Conference “Religious Education in Bulgaria” – April, 2005, Sofia, Bulgaria /in. Bulgarian/

 

International Conference “Religion in Multi-confessional and Multiethnic Society” – University in Novi sad, Serbia and Montenegro, May 16, 2005

 

International conference “Religion and Politics” – South-Western University in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, June 3-4, 2005

 

International Conference “Religion and Globalization” in Nis, Serbia, June 24-26, 2005

 

 

Project related reports, scheduled in the  forthcoming international conferences:

 

International meeting of the European Consortium for Political  Research, in Budapest,  September 8-10, 2005

 

Annual meeting of the Association for the History of Culture and Science, in Amsterdam, March, 2006

 

International Varna Philosophical School, June 2006, Varna, Bulgaria

 

IV. Project related University courses:

 

The results of the Project were incorporated in my University course  “Anthropology of Religion”, presented before the Master degree students of the Sociology Department at the  South-Western University in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria

 

A new University course has been prepared to be presented before the  Master degree students of the Sociology Department at the  South-Western University in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria: “The Religious situation in the Contemporary Balkan Countries”

 

 

V. Project related Expert activities:

 

Expert analysis has been done on Religion and Schooling Policy and Dialog in  Bulgaria, published in :Kodelja, Z. and Terrice Bassler, Religion and Schooling in Open Society, December 2004, Lyubljana, pp.45-46

 

Expert analysis has been done on “Study materials for religious education  for 5-6th and 7-8th grades of primary and secondary education in Bulgaria. Curriculum "The Culture of Religion" in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The discussions in Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro” to be used from  the Center for Dialog and Partnership between Christians and Muslims in Sofia, Bulgaria.

 

 

 

 

VI. Dissemination of the Policy Brief  by post-mail, E-mail or directly to :

 

Governmental Departments of Religious Affairs in Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Bulgaria; the teams working on the new laws on religion in Macedonia  and Serbia;  European Commission institutions; religious and political leaders, media editors in the studied countries; the Law and Religion relevant research centers; the NGO-s; the religious communities; the University and the  school teachers and libraries.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



[1] All the publications are under my author’s name: Nonka Bogomilova