2nd International Conference

October 29-31, 2020

Sofia, Bulgaria

Balkan Ethnology Department

Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with

Ethnographic Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Balkan Ethnology Department

After the first successful conference of the ‘Between the Worlds’ (BEW), the Balkan Ethnology

Department at IEFSEM – BAS is organizing its second international academic forum under the

title ‘Between the Worlds: Magic, Miracles and Mysticism’ (BEW 2020). It aims at bringing

together scholars and researchers from all areas of humanities and social sciences to an inter-

disciplinary discussion of their research results on the place and role of magic, miracles and

mysticism in traditional and modern societies and communities. The magical and mystical

perceptions, experiences, views, beliefs and practices have become more visible in the

contemporary globalized world. The miracles of natural areas, sacred places, icons, and monuments

are still bringing together a multitude of believers each year to different parts of the world. This

comes as testimony to the fact that people still desire to know the unknown and reach out for what

cannot be seen, touched, felt and often accounted for. The contact spaces between people and

supranatural forces have various social aspects, which set the wide thematic range of the

conference.

Organization Committee

Prof. DSc. Rachko Popov, IEFSEM – BAS, Sofia, Bulgaria

Assoc. Prof. Iveta Todorova – Pirgova, PhD, Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, Millville, New

Jersey, USA

Assist. Prof. Magdalena Slavkova, PhD, IEFSEM – BAS, Sofia, Bulgaria

Assist. Prof. Yelis Erolova, PhD, IEFSEM –

BAS, Sofia, Bulgaria

Assist. Prof. Plamena Stoyanova, PhD, IEFSEM – BAS, Sofia, Bulgaria

Behrin Shopova, PhD, IEFSEM – BAS, Sofia,

Bulgaria Mina Hristova, PhD Candidate, IEFSEM – BAS,

Sofia, Bulgaria Julia Popcheva, PhD Student, IEFSEM – BAS,

Sofia, Bulgaria

Prof. Elena Marushiakova, PhD, University of St. Andrews, UK / IEFSEM – BAS, Sofia, Bulgaria

Prof. Florentina Badalanova – Geller, PhD, The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and

Ireland, London, UK

Prof. Fotini Tsibiridou, PhD, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece

Prof. Mare Kõiva, PhD, Estonian Literary Museum, Tartu, Estonia

Prof. Vesselin Popov, PhD, University of St. Andrews, UK / IEFSEM – BAS, Sofia, Bulgaria

Assoc. Prof. Desislava Naydenova, PhD, CMRC – BAS, Sofia, Bulgaria

Assoc. Prof. Mila Maeva, PhD, IEFSEM – BAS,

Sofia, Bulgaria

Website: https://conferenceworlds.wordpress.com

Photo credit: Mina Hristova

9.00-9.30

Registration

9.30-9.45

Welcome address

9.45-10.15 Keynote speech

Defining Magic in the Ancient World

Prof. Mark Geller, PhD

UCL, UK / Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

10.15-10.45 Panel I

TRACKING MAGIC, MIRACLES AND MYSTICIMS

THROUGH THE AGES

Panel II

MYTH AND MAGIC TRANSFORMATIONS

Moderator:

Assoc. Prof. Mila Maeva, PhD

Moderator:

Vanya Ivanova, PhD

10.45-11.00

Magicians and Magical Practice in Medieval Slavonic Legal Texts

Assoc. Prof. Desislava Naydenova, PhD (Bulgaria)

The Birth of Philosophy: from Mythos to Logos Prof. Dr. Abdülkadir Çücen

(Turkey)

11.00-11.15

Magic and Miracle: Is There a

Difference? A Look through Medieval Latin Texts

Assoc. Prof. Stilyana Batalova, PhD (Bulgaria)

Setting up a Ritual in Deleuze’s

Thought-Architecture Cecilia Inkol, PhD Student

(Canada)

11.15-11.30

Representation of the Miracles in ‘Kyiv Diocesan Bulletin’ (1861–1917)

Assoc. Prof. DSc. Antonina Kizlova (Ukraine)

The Danger of Spiritual Reality in the S. Grabinski’s Fiction Tatiana Samarina, PhD

(Russia)

11.30-11.45 The Concept of Good and Evil in Jewish Folklore and Mysticism

Assoc. Prof. Vladimir Janev, PhD (North Macedonia)

Mystical as Ordinary Way of Living Assist. Prof. Nevena Dimitrova, PhD

(Bulgaria)

11.45-12.15 Lunch

12.15-14.00

Panel III

MIRACULIOUS LANDSCAPES

Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Elya Tsaneva, PhD

Panel IV

MAGICAL OBJECTS

Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Desislava Naydenova, PhD

14.00-14.15

Urban Mythology. A Discussion of Urban Aesthetics, Architecture and

Mythology

Assoc. Prof. Ana Negoiță, PhD (Romania)

Precious ‘Magic’ from the East – an Example of How the Imperial Court in Vienna Acquired Bezoars from the Ottoman Empire in the 16th Century

Aneliya Stoyanova, PhD (Bulgaria)

14.15-14.30

Vilnius as the Sacred City: the Mysticism of Saint Maria Faustyna

Kowalska and the Revival of the Cult of Divine Mercy at the End of 20th –

Beginning of 21st Century Radvilė Racėnaitė, PhD

(Lithuania)

A New Magical Bowl Prof. Gaby Abou Samra, PhD

(Lebanon)

14.30-14.45

Sacred Places and Ritual Movement.

Notes on the Impact of Space on

Bulgarian Folk Customs

Bozhidar Parvanov, PhD Student (Bulgaria)

Painters’ Names as Saints’ Amulets: of

Inscribing Oneself into Sacredness

Jakov Đorđević, PhD (Serbia)

14.45-15.00

Incredible Miracles in

Crimean Legends

Anastasiia Zherdieva, PhD (Turkey)

Banishing Acts in the

Arslan Tash Amulets

Marilyn Love, PhD Student (USA)

15.00-15.30 Discussion Discussion

15.30-16.00 Coffee break

Moderator:

Assoc. Prof. Ksenia Klimova, PhD

Moderator:

Mina Hristova, PhD Candidate

16.00-16.15

Mystic Relations to the Homeland Assoc. Prof. Mila Maeva, PhD

(Bulgaria)

Magic and Ritual in the Roman

Amphitheatre of Beit Guvrin, Israel

Noy Shemesh, PhD Student (Israel)

16.15-16.30

Sacred Places and Miracles (To the Legendary Heritage of Heterodox Islam in Northeastern Bulgaria)

Assoc. Prof. DSc. Veneta Yankova (Hungary)

Creating an Amulet: Parallels between

Christian and Jewish Magical Traditions in the Balkans Vuk Dautović, PhD Candidate

(Serbia)

16.30-16.45

Wonderworking Objects and Miracles at Holy Sites in Pernik Region in the

Past and Nowadays Assist. Prof. Tanya Matanova, PhD

(Bulgaria)

Sacred Objects and Miracles

Associated with the Folklore Narrative

Element F531.3.2.3 – Giants Throw

Tools Back and Forth

Assoc. Prof. Svetlana Y. Korolyova, PhD (Russia)

16.45-17.15

Discussion

Discussion

18.00 – 20.00

Welcome reception

9.15-9.45 Keynote speech

The Writing of Magic and the Formation of Knowledge Communities:

The Case of Magic Books in the Early Modern Period

Prof. Ane Ohrvik, PhD

University of Oslo, Norway

10.00-11.15 Panel V

RELIGION AND MYSTICISM

Moderator:

Prof. DSc. Bogdana Todorova

Panel VI

MAGICAL ENTANGLEMENTS OF PAST AND PRESENT

Moderator:

Assist. Prof. Nevena Dimitrova, PhD

10.00-10.15

Miracle in the Contemporary Orthodox Fiction: between

Esotericism and Christianity Prof. DSc. Pavel Nosachev

(Russia)

Transformation of Magic: From the Primitive ‘Core’ to Various Ethno-

Cultural Forms Prof. DSc. Victoria Kravchenko

(Russia)

10.15-10.30 Modern Paganism among the Mari of the Republic of Tatarstan

Assoc. Prof. Elena Frolova Arslan Mingaliev

(Russia)

Magic Rites at Kryashen-Pagans Prof. DSc. Tatyana Titova

Elena Gushchina (Russia)

10.30-10.45 Performing Miracles by Pentecostal Women

Assist. Prof. Magdalena Slavkova, PhD (Bulgaria)

Greek Magical Practices to See the Predestined Husband in a Dream

Oksana V. Tchoekha, PhD (Russia)

10.15-11.15 Discussion Discussion

11.15-11.45 Coffee break

Moderator: Prof. Elena Marushiakova, PhD

Moderator: Prof. DSc. Albena Georgieva

11.45-12.00

The Magic of Mugham and

Azerbaijani Mysticism Prof. DSc. Bogdana Todorova

(Bulgaria)

Traditional Beliefs in Modern Komi-

Permyak Culture Assoc. Prof. Iuliia Shkuratok, PhD

(Russia)

12.00-12.15 Embodied ‘Miracles’: Crossing the

Boundaries of Pain Ioannis Mylonelis, PhD Candidate

(Greece)

On the Question of Magical Practices in the Cult of Ancestors as a Tool for

Forming Collective Memory among Romanians in Ukraine

Elena Dyakova (Russia)

12.15-12.30 Spirit Possession, Javanese Magic

and Islam: Current State of Affairs Eva Rapoport

(Thailand)

Saint Patronage: a Modern Point of View

Victoria Legkikh, PhD (Austria)

12.30-13.00 Discussion Discussion

13.00-14.30 Lunch

14.30-16.15

Panel VII

RITUAL LIVES OF PEOPLE

Moderator:

Prof. DSc. Valeria Fol

Panel VIII

MAGICAL FIGURES AND SOCIAL

RELATIONS

Moderator: Prof. DSc. Vanya Lozanova-Stancheva

14.30-14.45

The Magical ‘Tying’ Action. Changes in its Use and

Significance in the Bulgarian Culture of the 19th – 21st Centuries Assoc. Prof. Dzheni Madzharov, PhD

(Bulgaria)

Gypsy Fortune-tellers in Eastern Europe Prof. Elena Marushiakova, PhD

Prof. Vesselin Popov, PhD (United Kingdom / Bulgaria)

14.45-15.00 Between the Worlds: The Touch as a Magical Gesture

Ekaterina Todorova, PhD (Bulgaria)

The Folk Magician and Healer as a Mediator

Prof. DSc. Albena Georgieva (Bulgaria)

15.00-15.15 The Empty Night Ritual in Literature, Film and the Life of

Modern Kashubians Assist. Prof. Maša Guštin,PhD

Assist. Prof. Natalia Wyszogrodzka-Liberadzka, PhD

(Poland)

Contemporary Images of Healers – between Holiness and Magic Assist. Prof. Violeta Kotseva, PhD

(Bulgaria)

15.15-15.30

Mystical Perceptions of Sacred Spaces along Their Tourist

Socialisation between the Worlds of Faith and Art Liana Galabova

(Bulgaria)

Magic in the Eyes of the Muslim Roma

(Cases from Bulgaria) Assist. Prof. Yelis Erolova, PhD

(Bulgaria)

15.30-15.45

Discussion Wizardry and Magic Ritual Practices of Amazigh/Berber Women in Morocco

Assoc. Prof. Houssine Soussi, PhD (Morocco)

15.45-16.15 Discussion

16.15-16.45 Coffee break

16.45-18.00 Panel IX

E-MAGIC AND ONLINE

MIRACLES

Moderator: Prof. DSc. Pavel Nosachev

Panel X

INTERPLAY BETWEEN MAGIC

AND NARRATIVES

Moderator: Jakov Đorđević, PhD

16.45-17.00

New Mythologies and Miracles in Bulgaria: Outsmarting ‘Fate’

Mina Hristova, PhD Candidate (Bulgaria)

Challenging Realities in

Life-Narratives and Memoirs: Roma Authors (not) Writing about Magic

Sofiya Zahova, PhD (Iceland / United Kingdom)

17.00-17.15 Use and Sharing of Numerical

Codes as a Magical Practice within the Virtual Space

Anja Zlatovic, PhD Student (Serbia)

Cave and Magic Lamp Prof. Kujtim Rrahmani, PhD

(Kosovo)

17.15-17.30 ‘Media-Witches’ in the 21st Century Russia

Tatiana Khoruzhenko, PhD (Russia)

Allusive Magic: The Bibliomantic Transfer of Ethos from Homer to Virgil

to Dante to Notley to Saterstrom Robert Eric Shoemaker, PhD Student

(USA) 17.30-18.00

Discussion

Discussion

9.30-10.00 Keynote speech

Post Ottoman Embodied Religiosity and Heterogeneous Communities. Death

Worship and Pilgrimage Practices among Christians and Muslims in the Balkans and Anatolia

Prof. Fotini Tsibiridou, PhD

Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece

10.00-10.30 Coffee break

10.30-12.15 Panel ХI

WORLD BEYOND

Panel ХII

MAGICAL CREATURES

Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Vladimir Janev, PhD

Moderator: Sofiya Zahova, PhD

10.30-10.45

Obtaining Information from the

Dead

Prof. DSc. Valeria Fol

(Bulgaria)

There and Back Again: Little People in

Mythology and Fiction

Prof. Mare Kõiva, PhD

(Estonia)

10.45-11.00

Sound Codes in Karelian

Mythological Prose as Markers of

Liminal State of a Human

Liliia Tkachuk, PhD

(Russia)

The Phantasms in the Japanese Culture –

both Ancient Myths and Contemporary

Pop Culture Creatures

Emil Antonov, PhD Student

(Bulgaria)

11.00-11.15

Twilight Zone: The Topos of

Miracles (on ‘Life of St. Macarius

of Rome’)

Prof. DSc. Vanya Lozanova-Stancheva

(Bulgaria)

Beliefs about Flying Serpents in the Belarusian, Estonian and Estonian

Russian Tradition Prof. Mare Kõiva, PhD (Estonia)

Alena Boganeva (Belarus)

11.15-11.30

Magic in the Turkish Family in

Northeastern Bulgaria

Behrin Shopova, PhD

(Bulgaria)

Magic, Mysticism and Miracles in Folk Mythology of Pomaks’ Community in

Greece (Xanthi Region) Assoc. Prof. Ksenia Klimova, PhD

(Russia) 11.30-12.15

Discussion

Discussion

12.15-14.00 Lunch

14.00-16.15 Panel ХІII

BETWEEN HUMAN WORLD

AND NATURE

Panel ХIV

MAGIC, MIRACLES AND MYSTICISM

WITHIN SOCIETIES: POLITICAL AND

GENDER ASPECTS

Moderator:

Assoc. Prof. Stilyana Batalova, PhD

Moderator:

Prof. Mare Kõiva, PhD

14.00-14.15

Etiological Legends and

Narratives of Metamorphosis Related to Trees Andres Kuperjanov

(Estonia)

Rehabilitation оf Miracle in Post-Soviet

Russia

Assoc. Prof. Elena V. Shakhmatova, PhD

(Russia)

14.15-14.30

Sheep-Goats and Shepherds

Relationship in Anatolia in

Respective to

Magic, Mysticism and Festivals

Assist. Prof. Ayse Tuztas-Horzumlu, PhD

(Turkey)

Josip Broz Tito, Imagination and Post-

Yugoslav Quest for a Miracle Sanja Lazarević Radak, PhD

(Serbia)

14.30-14.45

The (Ir)rational Human-animal Relationship in Agricultural

Traditions and Contemporary Practices in Bulgaria (on the

Example of the Outbreak of Foot-and-mouth Disease in 2011) Assoc. Prof. Petya Bankova, PhD

(Bulgaria)

The New Mysticism in Bulgarian Society after the Political

Changes in 1989 Assist. Prof. Plamena Stoyanova, PhD

(Bulgaria)

14.45-15.00

The Miraculous Power of Nature

on Children’s Health in Children’s Camps

Radina Radenkova, PhD Student (Bulgaria)

Sub/versions: The Poetics of Resistance in

the Mysticism of Lal Ded and Mirabai

Sonakshi Srivastava, MA Student (India)

15.00-15.15

Discussion

Narratives about Magic in Armenia:

Gender and Power Amaliya Prtavyan, MA Student

(Еstonia) 15.15-15.45

Discussion

15.45-16.15 Final discussion

16.15-18.00 Tour of Sofia’s Magical Places