The presentation of the book 'Masks down! Nationalism in the Balkans in the 20th century' will take place on Thursday, June 7, 2018, at 18h30 in the hall of the Information Center of the Ministry of Defense /Georgi S. Rakovski Street No. 106/. The monograph will be presented by Prof. Ivan Ilchev, Dr. habil., corresponding member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences who also reviewed the book.

The authors of the monograph - Naum Kaychev, Bobby Bobev, Yura Konstantinova, Kalina Peeva, Roumiana Preshlenova and Aneta Mihaylova - are attempting to demystify the noble prepositions that politicians often justify the minority and tyrannical attacks in six countries in Southeastern Europe: Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania. The authors share the belief that the public presentation of these topics from the recent past is indispensable for a better understanding of the current challenges facing the region where we live.

The current debate on the problem implies its balanced and objective representation as an alternative to the malignant influence of extreme nationalisms that can fuel hate and mutual hatred. In the center of representation are the policies of the modern Balkan nation states towards minorities and the ways they are instrumentalised for public purposes. The specific manifestations and specificities of the nationalism in the region during the 20th century allow the phenomenon to be understood in its entirety and to be comparable. The monograph raises a number of questions and focuses on topics for further research.