The official presentation of the book “State and the Church: Studies in Medieval Bulgaria and Byzantium” by Denver Graninger, Director of the ABF-supported American Research Center in Sofia (ARCS) was one of the highlights of the 22nd International Congress of Byzantine Studies that is taking place on August 22 – 27, 2011 in Sofia. With over 1,000 participants the Congress is one of the largest gatherings of Byzantine scholars in the world.
The book is a compendium of studies by leading Bulgarian scholars in English, produced under the auspices of the American Research Center in Sofia (ARCS) with the financial support of the ABF. Many believe, that its launch is beginning to put Bulgaria on the world scholarly map. The editor of the book and Chair of the Congress Organizing Committee, Vassil Guyzelev, a prominent Bulgarian and international scholar, said “…It’s a pity that our foreign colleagues, who do research on Bulgaria, still quote Irechek from the 19th century. We hope that with this book, they will have plenty of contemporary material to quote…”
Mr. Graninger concluded his presentation by saying that “… In times of natural disasters, political turmoil, and financial turbulence, there is one organization that has taken an unpopular stance — to support humanities and this is the ABF. And we hope that more individuals and organizations will follow their example.”
ARCS was established in 2004 as an organization dedicated to facilitating academic research in Bulgaria for North American scholars and collaboration between scholars from North America and countries in Southeast Europe (Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia). The aim of the ABF is to assist the ARCS into becoming a legacy institution thereby helping it become a major research institution in Bulgaria and eventually a center for Balkan archeological and historical studies. The ultimate objective is to popularize heritage tourism and to put Bulgaria on the world heritage tourism map.
