Sociology as Factor of Change: Reflections on the Bulgarian Experience

Due to the work of enthusiasts and some institutional support, the discipline of sociology was well-established at the end of state socialism in Bulgaria. The paradigm of the sociological structure of society was more or less shared as the conceptual core of valuable theoretical and empirical studies. Around 1989, it seemed that Bulgarian society and sociology were ready to master profound changes. As seen in retrospect, both expectations turned out to be illusions. The national sociology was not prepared for rational explaining, forecasting, and intellectually guiding complex social processes. Due to internal disorganisation and external pressures, the Bulgarian state and society lost control of societal transformation for a while. The national economy, politics, and culture had to cope with both domestic and imported irrationalities. Only a few Bulgarian sociologists succeeded in managing the unfavourable circumstances. Hopefully, the intellectual coping with the new requirements to conducting research, teaching, and publishing in the realm of sociology will be more efficient in the context of the high intensity of domestic and international competition.