Vol. 80 No. 1 (1987): Annual of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" – Faculty of History
The 80th anniversary volume of the Sofia University Yearbook – Faculty of History marks the centenary of the History program (1888–1988) and provides a comprehensive academic overview of the development, institutionalization, and scientific achievements of the departments in the Faculty of History. The articles, written by leading faculty members, chronologically trace the formation of the major from the Higher Pedagogical Course (1888) to the establishment of an independent Faculty of History (1972) and its current state.
Prof. Rumen Donkov examines the hundred-year development of the History major, analyzing the institutional and ideological changes from the Higher School through the Faculty of Philosophy and History to its current structure. Prof. Velichko Georgiev presents the history of the Department of Bulgarian History, outlining the main schools and contributions of scholars such as Petar Mutafchiev, Vasil Zlatarski, Hristo Gandev, Nikolay Todorov, and others. Prof. Velizar Velkov summarizes the development of the Department of Ancient History, its classical and antique traditions, and international contacts. Assoc. Prof. Aneta Ilieva traces the creation and development of the Department of Byzantine and Balkan History (1972–1986), emphasizing the contributions of Georgi Bakalov, Vasilka Tapkova-Zaimova, and other prominent Byzantinists. Assoc. Prof. Dimitar Polov presents the Department of Thracology, built around the research of Prof. Alexander Fol and his school. Assoc. Prof. Mihail Yonov examines the teaching of medieval general history, and Assoc. Prof. Milen Semkov discusses the activities of the Department of Modern and Contemporary History, associated with the works of Academician Dimitar Kosev and Prof. Vera Mutafchieva. The article by Chavdar Naydenov, Iskra Ilieva, and Rumyana Radenska traces the traditions and continuity in the teaching of Russian and Soviet history. Prof. Lyudmil Getov presents the history of the Department of Archaeology, while Assoc. Prof. Ivanichka Georgieva discusses the development of ethnography at the university in the context of cultural anthropology. Finally, Prof. Yordan Shopov and Stefka Petkova examine archival science and auxiliary historical disciplines as an autonomous field of study and research.
The volume emphasizes the place of Sofia University as a center of historical science in Bulgaria and shows the continuity between generations of teachers and scholars who have contributed to the development of the national historiographical tradition.
