What do young history students from Sofia University, cyberethnography and Japanese Onsen culture have in common? Can we “catch up” with the Japanese? Do you know where is Slaveinovo village, now with only 92 inhabitants but home to more than 120 Bulgarian medical doctors?
These and many other interesting facts were shared during the presentation of two research projects of students and faculty from Sofia University, within the UniverCity project. The presentations were online, on 7 October 2022, and brought together the researchers and members of Sofia Development Association and Sofia Municipality. The two research projects follow the methodology of community research awards, where researchers delve into a topic or issue identified as important by the community. The research team of Asst. Prof. Petya Grueva, History Department of Sofia University, focused on studying the collective identity and history of a small village in the southernmost border of Bulgaria, using digital formats to preserve for the future the oral stories shared by the inhabitants of Slaveino. The research group of Dr. Lyudmila Kirilova, Center for Eastern Languages and Studies, did work in the town of Draginovo, with the ambition to introduce some good practices from Japan on how to use the local mineral springs. Though only some kilometers away from Velingrad, dubbed the ‘spa center of the Balkans,’ the small town is yet to make the best of its rich natural resources.
At SDA, we are committed to constantly expanding the local communities of knowledge by engaging students and researchers in our projects and programs; this joint forum with Sofia University confirms our belief that neither pure research nor policies themselves can respond to the multiple needs of modern society. In today’s global world being (digitally) connected and multi-actor collaboration are important premises for small communities to solve their problems, sometimes with solutions coming literally from the ‘other end of the world.’
The project UniverCity is coordinated by Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, with the financial support of the Erasmus+ Program.
