Social Change and Reputational Elites: Assessments and Reassessments of the ‘Sporting Glory of Bulgaria’ (1989-2020s)

Abstract

This article deals with post-communist period in Bulgaria and particularly with the social change on the example of sports elites. It is studying the transformation of old (totalitarian) sports elites into new (capitalist) ones, changes in their symbolic capital and content of new ‘reputational elites’, and the legacy of socialist sport in the transi-tion period. Social history and social anthropology approaches are used in order to apply elite theory and concept of Bourdieu for symbolic and social capital. The re-search is based on primary official and statistical documents and on oral standardized interviews.