Ekaterina Anastasova (1962-2025)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ekaterina Anastasova (1962–2025) was a distinguished ethnologist and folklorist whose work forged meaningful connections between the Balkans and the Baltics. Her research interests ranged from migration and identity to ritual and oral tradition, always approached with intellectual depth and human sensitivity.

She was a dedicated lecturer at Sofia University and a longtime researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. She headed key departments, mentored dozens of students, and led research teams with clarity, humor, and care. Many consider her guidance the foundation of a scholarly school in its own right.

Internationally respected, she played an essential role in building networks between scholars across Eastern Europe. As founder of the International Society of Balkan and Baltic Studies and editor of its Yearbook, she leaves behind a lasting legacy. Her voice, presence, and kindness will be profoundly missed.