Pashov, Shakir M. History of the Gypsies in Bulgaria and Europe: Roma (original) (raw)

Roma in Bulgaria and advocated for their rights, interests, and public image, and ultimately for the improvement of their situation. My reading of the book is that it seeks to raise the spirit of the people who identify as 'Gypsies' and give them a sense of pride and dignity that they are not "a people without a history". The book focuses on a critical moment in the history of the Roma: the active formation of nation-states on the Balkans, after the First World War and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian, the Russian and the Ottoman empires. In this period, the process of nation building determined who does and who does not belong to the nation in the new nation-states. In this context, Pashov's work is unique and revolutionary because it seeks to disseminate knowledge, raise the spirit and pride of the Roma, and define a new, dignified position for the Roma in Bulgarian society. I know about the personality of the Roma leader Shakir Pashov perhaps as much as someone who has made an effort to learn or a scholar who has taken interest in the history of the Roma mobilisation movement. Unfortunately, Pashov's name has been forgotten, and it could be brought to light only when someone studies historical sources and archives. For example, if someone seeks information about the Roma civic movement, political situation, and representation, at the birth of the modern Bulgarian state, they would come across some of Pashov's achievements and contributions in these areas. His legacy and contribution, however, have not been sufficiently publicised. My research on the Roma civic organisations in Bulgaria in the interwar period has provided me with the opportunity to learn more about Shakir Pashov's tireless work and legacy (Marinov, 2020a, 2020b). While studying Roma newspapers and other editions, I learned about the organisation Common Mohammedan-Gypsy National Cultural, Educational and Mutual Aid Union in Bulgaria, which was headed by Shakir Pashov, and about its founding members listed in the Constitutive Meeting protocol of December 25, 1933 with their registered addresses (CSA, f. 264, op. 2, a.e. 8413, l. 28). To my surprise, these addresses are located in an area a couple of blocks away from where I grew up (Stamboliyski Boulevard), and close to my grandparents' old house and the birthplace of my father-Tatarli Street in today's Roma mahala Konyovitsa in Sofia. This fact sparked my interest and I made some inquiries with my grandmother and my father. My grandmother, known by most Roma in Sofia as Chala, easily recognised the names of the organisation's founding members, which I read to her. She told me that her family and Shakir Pashov's family knew each other because both families lived in Boyana mahala (today Gotse Delchev neighbourhood) in Sofia, and she remembered that he had led a Romani organisation. She told me that Shakir Pashov had bought her father's house, and she remembered his wife and his children. My father,-978-3-657-79030-2 Downloaded from Brill.com06/01/2023 09:12:39AM via free access xx Elena Marushiakova, et al.