Books

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ADULT EDUCATION AS EMPOWERMENT

Authors: проф. Пепка Бояджиева и д-р Петя Илиева-Тричкова.

For the book

This book re-imagines the essence and role of adult education at both the individual and societal levels. It provides arguments for understanding adult education as a process of agency and empowerment, which has not only instrumental but intrinsic and transformative roles to play. This book brings together ideas from the capability approach with insights from recognition theory; the embeddedness approach; the political economic perspective for understanding public and private goods and the common goods perspective. The analysis draws on data from large-scale international studies – alongside qualitative data – and adopts a wide-ranging European comparative perspective. The book develops original instruments for measuring different dimensions of adult education as a common good, and its realisation in different social contexts. It is aimed at academics, students, practitioners, and policy makers interested in adult and/or higher education and the social justice perspective to human life.

First reviews

“I am highly impressed with this new book by Boyadjieva and Ilieva-Trichkova. Their investigation on empowerment and adult education has been nicely executed in a rigorous way, both at the theoretical and empirical level. It combines an excellent critical account of leading sociological theories with evidence-based claims underpinned by large scale data. This book is a must-read for everyone who deeply cares about adult education and will serve as an inspiration for tomorrow’s research in the field”. Professor Ellen Boeren, University of Glasgow, UK

“This is an outstanding contribution to the conceptualization and analysis of adult education and its significance for individuals, communities, and societies. The authors creatively combine discussion and development of theory with empirical analysis of cross-national data. The result is a book full of important insights and perspectives, really valuable to scholars and students as well as to stakeholders and practitioners in adult education”. Palle Rasmussen, Emeritus Professor, Aalborg University, Denmark

 

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RETURNING MIGRANTS

Authors: Andrei Nonchev, Veselin Minchev, Irena Zareva, Venelin Boshnakov, Maria Bakalova, Mihaela Misheva, Marieta Hristova

Published: 2020, Publishing House – UNWE

The research project, within the framework of which this monograph was prepared, makes an attempt to compensate to some extent for the deficit of information in regard to migrants, returning permanently or temporarily to Bulgaria. The second chapter of the monograph presents both the methodology of the quantitative and qualitative empirical studies of remigration to Bulgaria, conducted by the authoring team, as well as their findings. A comprehensive analytical framework and a methodology for examination of the phenomenon of “returning migrants” is developed, based on the achievements of contemporary sociological and economic thought, with a focus on the Bulgarian specifics of the issues. The heterogeneity, complexity and mutual intertwining of migratory processes and in particular of remigration, are conceptualized using the summary terms “segmentation“ and “stratification” of returning migrants. The following are being analysed:

• various spatial and temporal migratory trajectories;
• diverse causes for the migratory movements and return;
• success and sustainability of the return;
• structural characteristics of returning migrants depending on their employment sphere, profession, education, qualifications, income levels, property etc.;
• vertical social stratification of returning migrants from the perspective of their socio-economic status and mobility;
• socio-economic effects of the return on the labour market, economic activity, quality of life.

In the third chapter of the monograph, the international and national legal frameworks and the policies implemented on migration and return are presented and critically analysed. Problems are identified, which the policies encouraging the remigration of Bulgarian citizens are facing, their effectiveness and the possibility of successful reintegration of those returning temporarily or permanently are discussed. A number of good practices are shared, which stimulate successful return and support the adaptation of the returnees (the case study of Poland is reviewed in a special annex). Ideas are being proposed for optimization of the policies on return and reintegration with the view of accomplishment of their economic, social and demographic goals.

The selection of the thematic highlights is a challenge before any monographic work, oriented at a systematic examination of such a complex phenomenon as remigration. The compromises and bounds in determining the content of monograph are inevitable and the decisions made carry the imprint of the subjective preferences of the authors. Their common goal is to present three key aspects of the range of issues, related to the return: first of all, the theoretical ideas and the methodological principles of the research and conceptualization of remigration; secondly, the methodology and the findings of the quantitative and qualitative empirical studies of returning migrants in Bulgaria, conducted by the authoring team; thirdly, the principles, contents and challenges before international and national policies on return and reintegration.

More information for the project and the monograph could be found here.

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The Virtual Office: New Opportunity for Work-Family Balance in the ICT Sector in Bulgaria

Author: Gabriela Yordanova

Published: 2020, Prof. Marin Drinov Publishing House of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

About the book:

In today’s digital economy and society, the information and communication technology (ICT) has become increasingly important in business and social life, as well as in the working and professional life of the individual. ICTs are changing stereotypes of employment, workplace, working hours and so on. All this gives rise to new, unknown problems related to attitudes, readiness and adaptation to such working conditions. The virtual work arena in Bulgaria is attractive to the highly educated people with digital skills from lower age groups. This type of work organization is perceived as an opportunity for work-life balance (WLB), something that workers do not cease to strive for throughout their lives (especially in their early parenting years). The book is based on author’s research conducted in 2016 through qualitative (in-depth and biographical interviews – a total of 14) and quantitative methods (web-based questionnaire among 297 employed and 100 self-employed persons (freelancers). The opinion of the social partners on the social protection of employees in the platform economy is also presented. The results apply only to the ICT sector in Bulgaria. Unlike previous research, the author’s research has the ambition to prove that work-family balance is not only a psychological but also a social phenomenon. By introducing telework as a form of employment, opportunities for reconciling parenting and job roles are enriched – especially in the midst of a working career (when parenting is most likely to happen). This book aims to refute the claim that „having children has a negative impact on women’s participation in the labor market“ (Eurofound, 2016). On the contrary, alternative employment methods are being sought, such as freelancers in the platform economy, to strike a balance between work and family.

ISBN: 978-619-245-031-1 (eISBN: 978-619-245-040-3)

Year of publishing: 2020

Category: Man and society

Language: Bulgarian

Prof. Marin Drinov Publishing House of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

The book is available online: https://press.bas.bg/bg/eBooks-105/show-106(14)

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Румънско списание Psihologia Sociala, посветен на социалните и хуманитарните науки в България (2020, бр. 46/II), с водещи Светла Колева и Михай Дину Георгиу.

В него статии имат Лиляна Деянова, Ния Нейкова, Петя Тодорова, Момчил Христов, Георги Медаров, а тематичният блок започва с интервю с проф. Петър-Емил Митев. Самото интервю е публикувано на български, румънски и английски в блога “Мостът на приятелството” на Владимир Митев. Вижте в линковете:

Електронното издание на броя на списанието може да се получи от Светла Колева.

 

PSIHOLOGIA SOCIALA (N°46/II, 2020)

SUMAR

1. EDITORIAL

Svetla Koleva, Mihai Dinu Gheorghiu

Les sciences humaines et sociales en Bulgarie: bilans et prospectives.…………………………………… 7

1. PSIHOLOGIA SOCIALA IN DIALOG

Entretien – Svetla Koleva en dialogue avec le Professeur Petar-Emil Mitev…………… 11

• STUDII, CERCETARI, SINTEZE

Petia Todorova

Non-linéarité du dialogue scientifique contemporain………………………………………………………….. 21

Georgi Medarov

The Contradictory Images of Totalitarianism in Contemporary Bulgarian Historiographies.. 35

Momchil Hristov

Aventures et mésaventures de l’utopie………………………………………………………………………………. 52

Liliana Deyanova

Social Sciences as Utopias………………………………………………………………………………………………… 75

Niya Neykova

Valeurs, stratégies professionnelles et trajectoires biographiques dans le choix de la formation en sciences humaines et sociales en Bulgarie postcommuniste……………………………………………. 89

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REGIONAL INSIGHTS TO LIFELONG LEARNING POLICIES IN SUPPORT OF YOUNG ADULTS IN BULGARIA

Authors: Valentina Milenkova, Siyka Kovacheva

Published: 2020, Avangard prima

This book addresses structural and institutional relations in which education and practical training are embedded. The focus is on the policies and practices of diverse educational institutions and their interaction with social actors, that have the potential and resources to influence the process of training young people and their compliance with the labor market. It also allows to examine the agency of both young people and experts in the field of lifelong learning.

The approach of the project is multi-level, taking stock of the interconnections between European, national and regional policy oriented towards young people and especially those at risk of social exclusion. The project is aimed at gaining knowledge about the impact of LLL policies on life paths, plans, strategies of young people and ways to make these
policies more effective.

The analysis is based on the results of the project “YOUNG_ADULLLT – ‘Policies Supporting Young Adults in their Life Course’, team coordinator Prof. Marcelo Parreira do Amaral, Ph.D., under the Horizon 2020 Program, 2016-2019.

The book presents the results of a complex study applying theoretical and empirical reasoning, based on understanding of the policy-practice
relationship. We have raised many questions which guided the field work as well as the analysis of the rich data set collected in the project. We hope that we provide answers grounded in the realities of the two functional regions – Blagoevgrad and Plovdiv examined in the project. Most of all, the book demonstrates the significance of the regional dimension of the context for understanding lifelong learning policies and their effect on the life courses of young adults to whom these policies are directed.

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PUBLIC SPACE: BETWEEN REIMAGINATION AND OCCUPATION

Authors: Svetlana Hristova and Mariusz Czepczyński – co-editors and authors

Published: 2018, Routledge

Public Space: Between Reimagination and Occupation examines contemporary public space as a result of intense social production reflecting contradictory trends: the long-lasting effects of the global crisis, manifested in supranational trade-offs between political influence, state power and private ownership; and the appearance of global counter-actors, enabled by the expansion of digital communication and networking technologies and rooted into new participatory cultures, easily growing into mobile cultures of protest.

More information here.

 

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Totalitarian Experience and Knowledge Production Sociology in Central and Eastern Europe 1945-1989

Author: Svetla Koleva

Publication: 2017, Brill

The book examines, in a comparative perspective, sociology as practiced in six European Communist countries marked by various forms of totalitarianism in the period 1945-1989. In contrast to normative sociology’s view that such coexistence is essentially impossible, the author argues that sociology could function in these undemocratic societies insofar as sociologists succeeded in establishing relatively autonomous institutional and cognitive zones. Based on the self-reflection of scholars who had practiced their profession during that period, the book reveals the tribulations of the scientific identity of sociology under the specific social-political conditions of totalitarian societies. It becomes evident that the basic principle that made sociological knowledge possible was freedom of thought in search for scientific truth despite the ‘truth’ imposed by political authority.

More information here.