THE ECHO OF THE PEASANT’S CATASTROPHE: COLLECTIVIZATION AND THE HOLODOMOR IN THE HISTORICAL MEMORY OF THE NORTHERN AZOV BULGARIANS

Abstract

The article explores the socio-economic transformations of the 1920s and 1930s in a Bulgarian village in the Northern Azov region, drawing on oral histories. It elucidates the mechanism behind the construction of the "collectivization" image in the historical memory of Ukrainian Bulgarians. The thesis posits the existence of a distinct corpus of oral narratives as an alternative historical and cultural model, contrasting with the official Soviet narrative of "modernization". The narrative portrays the disintegration of the peasant community and the instigation of an atmosphere of mistrust and fear, as recounted in personal stories. The study identifies historical memory narratives about violent collectivization as influential in shaping a complex of socially significant personal stories among Bulgarians in the Northern Azov region. Moreover, by integrating documentary evidence on collectivization and the Holodomor in southern Ukraine, the article highlights the informational potential of oral historical sources. Specifically, it reconstructs the primary stages of the Soviet authorities' defragmentation of peasant society through economic and non-economic pressures. The authors illustrate the process of forming and actively navigating the informational environment among the Bulgarian population in the Northern Azov region, depicting verbal images of collectivization functionaries/activists and the "silent mass" of victims of the economic system's collapse during the Holodomor. The article also delves into the phenomenon of emotional and cultural conflict within the historical memory structure, particularly concerning "Komsomol" functionaries. This investigation considers the respondents' narrative structuring and the establishment of cause-and-effect relationships. Conclusively, the authors assert that the transmission of past images to the younger generation occurred with corresponding emotional and value attitudes, particularly towards disarmament, collectivization, and the Holodomor. These attitudes were notably reinvigorated during the 1990s-2000s, influenced by socio-political and economic transformations.