Local and global: social, economic and cultural dimensions of transition in the Pomaks of Xanthi’s border zone

Abstract

The paper deals with the relation between social transition and economic and social organization forms in a Muslim mountainous community of Thrace. This community located in the border zone of Greece and Bulgaria and its residents are slavianspeaking Muslims known as Pomaks. Space and its transformations, as well as Muslim’s perception of social subjects, constitutes transformations in process.

Thus, from an economy of self-sufficiency and traditional forms of social and spatial organization, community’s residents are involved in flexible working forms and either permanently or temporary migration. They are differentiated in traditional economy groups as well as in new economy groups (wage-earner farmers, temporary immigrants in Europe). Spatial transformations define mobility (city–village, Europe–village) while besides initial typology emerges a new conceptual type of International-Global society