History of BSA

Brief history:

The first Bulgarian Scientific Sociological Association was founded in 1931. It’s activities included organizing discussions, lectures, and promoting the publication of relevant literature. Its activity was discontinued in 1939.

In June 1959, ten years after the creation of the International Sociological Association (1949), a Sociological Association was created in Bulgaria. In the same year, 1959, at the Fourth World Congress of Sociology, this association became a collective member of the International Sociological Association.

In the first years of its existence, the Sociological Association held scientific conferences on methodology, methods, and organization of sociological investigations (1961), an empirical sample survey of religiousness (1962), and a conference on the data and results of this survey (1965). At the annual electoral meeting of the Sociological Association in 1965, Professor Zhivko Oshavkov was elected chairman. Since 1966 the creation of divisions of the Association began in separate cities, mostly central cities of districts.

In April 1969 the Sociological Association was transformed into the Bulgarian Sociological Association. The first (founding) congress of BSA (November 17-19, 1969) voted the Statutes of the Association. Zhivko Oshavkov was elected president.

One of the most important international events organized by BSA at the very beginning of its existence was the Seventh World Congress of Sociology, September 14-19, 1970, in Varna, Bulgaria. Approximately 3200 sociologists from 14 countries took part. Over 1040 papers were presented (Transactions of the Seventh World Congress of Sociology/Actes du Septieme Congres mondial de sociologie/. 1970. Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. International Sociological Association, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Publishing House, Sofia).

Presidents of the BSA have been: Zhivko Oshavkov (1969-1982), Niko Yahiel (1982-1988), Yancho Georgiev (1988-1990), Zhivko Georgiev (1990-1991), Petar-Emil Mitev (1991-1995), Ivan Stefanov (1995-1997), Petar-Emil Mitev (1997-1999), Ivan Chalukov (1999-2003). The current president of the BSA is Pepka Boyadzhieva (2003-2006), Georgi Fotev (2006-2009), Svetla Koleva (2009-2012), Mihail Mirchev (2012-2014), Petia Kabakchieva (2014-2017).

At present, chair of the BSA is Georgi Petrunov (2017-).