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Session Submission Type: Book Discussion Roundtable
This roundtable will discuss Unsilencing: The History and Legacy of the Bulgarian Gulag by Lilia Topouzova, a groundbreaking work that examines Bulgaria’s system of forced labor camps and its long-suppressed legacy. In conversation with scholars from various disciplines, the discussion will explore the book’s contributions to our understanding of memory, political violence, and historical erasure. Unsilencing sheds light on how authoritarian regimes manipulate historical narratives to serve political ends and how survivors' testimonies challenge these official silences. The book’s themes align closely with the 2025 ASEEES convention theme, highlighting the tension between personal and collective memory and the role of history in shaping national identity. The roundtable will also address broader methodological questions about working with fragmented archives, oral histories, and visual media in contexts where official records have been purged or distorted. As memory remains a battleground in post-socialist Eastern Europe and beyond, this discussion will consider how Unsilencing offers new approaches for confronting authoritarian legacies and reclaiming suppressed histories.