| Summary: | This thesis is a study of the relationship between
ethnicity and politics in a democratic society. Taking
Bulgaria and its Turkish minority as a test case, the thesis
reflects on how the presence of ethnic minorities affects
governmental and political structures, how or under what
conditions minority groups benefit from their ability to
influence, or to integrate into, the political system, and,
vice versa, how the existing constitutional and political
structures affect the minorities' political choices. The
thesis reviews the cleavages pertaining to language,
religion, race, origin, and culture, which serve to identify
Bulgaria's major ethnic groups. Two analytical models are
utilized in order to test whether the political conditions
are favorable to a change in the interethnic relationship
from assimilation under the authoritarian regime to
integration by accommodation of the Turkish minority under
the new, democratic rule. The first model -- the concept of
communication and social mobilization of Karl Deutsch — is
used in the evaluation of the integrative capacity of the
Turkish minority to accommodate to the present political
reality. The second one — the consociational model of stable democratic government in plural societies of Arend
Lijphart -- is utilized in the assessment of the possible
outcomes resulting from the mounting ethnic pressures on
Bulgaria's unitary character. The thesis arrives at the
following general conclusions: first, under democratic
conditions, the impact of ethnicity on Bulgaria's politics
has increased; the presence of minorities has affected the
parties (toward perpetuating the nationwide ideological
divide), the electoral system (toward less vote fluidity),
and the governmental structures (toward interethnic
coalition building). Second, the constitutional framework of
the country is conducive to interethnic moderation and elite
coalescence; integrative behavior is rewarding for the
Turkish minority, despite Bulgaria's constitutional
ethnocentrism. And third, partial federal solutions in the
ethnically mixed regions appear to be a conceivable option
in the future.
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