Dizanje prošlosti u vazduh: Ogledi o Balkanu i Istočnoj Evropi
A collection of essays by the Bulgarian historian Maria Todorova (known for Imaginary Balkans), compiled especially for the 20th Century Library. Indispensable for understanding post-communist transitions, culture of memory and Balkan studies.
The title comes from the central essay on the demolition of the Georgi Dimitrov mausoleum in Sofia in 1999 – a symbolic "blowing up the past" as an act of erasing the communist legacy.
The book contains eight essays (plus a preface) that comparatively explore the Balkans and Eastern Europe through the prism of memory, identity and the politics of the past:
Blowing up the past – an analysis of the demolition of the mausoleum as a lieu de mémoire (a place of memory according to Pierre Nora): an ambivalent act – liberation from a totalitarian symbol, but also a violent erasure of a part of history, with reflections on transition and nostalgia.
The Trap of Backwardness – a critique of the stereotype of Balkan "backwardness" in relation to Europe; shows that Balkan nationalisms in the 19th century were emancipatory, not defensive.
Does Russian Orientalism Have a Russian Soul? – a polemic on Orientalism in the Russian context (N. Knight vs. A. Khalid).
Did civil society and public sphere exist in socialism? - Todorova refutes the claim of their non-existence in "real socialism", highlighting the subtle forms of the public.
Other essays: on post-socialist nostalgia, memory of communism, Balkan stereotypes and comparative topics (eg transitional elites, myths of the past).
Todorova writes lucidly, between academic and essayistic style - she criticizes nationalist simplifications, revisionism and superficial Western images of the Balkans. The book emphasizes that the past cannot simply be "blown up" – it is reinterpreted, and violent erasure often creates new myths.
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