Ivaylo Dinev
@ivodinev.bsky.social
Multi-Method Data Laboratory | Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS) @zois.bsky.social
Party systems, protest and social movements, trade unions in #EasternEurope. Triangulation of methods and data.
https://ivaylodinev.com
Party systems, protest and social movements, trade unions in #EasternEurope. Triangulation of methods and data.
https://ivaylodinev.com
What is going on in Bulgaria? An in-depth article by the independent Spanish media CTXT, including an interview with me, on the mass protests, the role of Gen Z, and the current political crisis.
🇧🇬 🗣️📣 Las protestas masivas de la Generación Z en Bulgaria forman parte de un movimiento social mucho más amplio que también ha fructificado en otros países de los Balcanes.
Lo cuento en @ctxt.es con la colaboración de @dragosionita.bsky.social e @ivodinev.bsky.social ⬇️
ctxt.es/es/20251201/...
Lo cuento en @ctxt.es con la colaboración de @dragosionita.bsky.social e @ivodinev.bsky.social ⬇️
ctxt.es/es/20251201/...
La generación Z en el laberinto búlgaro
Los jóvenes lideran un gran movimiento social contra la corrupción que ha hecho dimitir al octavo gobierno en cuatro años. La ola de protestas sacude a varios países de los Balcanes desde hace más de ...
ctxt.es
December 18, 2025 at 2:57 PM
What is going on in Bulgaria? An in-depth article by the independent Spanish media CTXT, including an interview with me, on the mass protests, the role of Gen Z, and the current political crisis.
What just happened in Bulgaria and what other countries can learn from it:
In just two weeks, mass protests forced the government to resign. Five key strategies👇
In just two weeks, mass protests forced the government to resign. Five key strategies👇
December 15, 2025 at 4:01 PM
What just happened in Bulgaria and what other countries can learn from it:
In just two weeks, mass protests forced the government to resign. Five key strategies👇
In just two weeks, mass protests forced the government to resign. Five key strategies👇
Mass protests in Bulgaria forced a government resignation, showing their effectiveness. Yet resignations often act as safety valves, letting ruling parties to regroup. Since 1989, this has locked the country in a recurring cycle of crisis and protest without breaking underlying power structures.
December 12, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Mass protests in Bulgaria forced a government resignation, showing their effectiveness. Yet resignations often act as safety valves, letting ruling parties to regroup. Since 1989, this has locked the country in a recurring cycle of crisis and protest without breaking underlying power structures.
Tonight, Sofia is seeing its largest demonstration since 1990. Rallies are unfolding across the country against state capture and corruption, demanding the government’s resignation and new elections.
December 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Tonight, Sofia is seeing its largest demonstration since 1990. Rallies are unfolding across the country against state capture and corruption, demanding the government’s resignation and new elections.
TikTok has changed the game. 100,000–150,000 people from diverse backgrounds protested in Bulgaria mobilised mainly through TikTok by influencers, activists, and the opposition. The platform has become a central engine for rapid mass mobilisation. What does this mean for social movement studies?
December 10, 2025 at 1:18 PM
TikTok has changed the game. 100,000–150,000 people from diverse backgrounds protested in Bulgaria mobilised mainly through TikTok by influencers, activists, and the opposition. The platform has become a central engine for rapid mass mobilisation. What does this mean for social movement studies?
The law of Bulgarian democracy:
the arrogance of the political class is restrained only by mass protest. At least 50,000 people marched yesterday in Sofia, with several thousand more in cities across the country.
the arrogance of the political class is restrained only by mass protest. At least 50,000 people marched yesterday in Sofia, with several thousand more in cities across the country.
December 2, 2025 at 12:52 PM
The law of Bulgarian democracy:
the arrogance of the political class is restrained only by mass protest. At least 50,000 people marched yesterday in Sofia, with several thousand more in cities across the country.
the arrogance of the political class is restrained only by mass protest. At least 50,000 people marched yesterday in Sofia, with several thousand more in cities across the country.
Democracy without protests? In parts of Europe, that’s unimaginable. Protest is not an isolated episode – it has shaped the political order for almost four decades through recurring cycles of crisis, mobilization, and renewal.
I call it protest democracy.
Read it here in @zois.bsky.social Spotlight👇
I call it protest democracy.
Read it here in @zois.bsky.social Spotlight👇
When Protest Becomes a Mode of Politics
ZOiS Spotlight 17/2025 by Ivaylo Dinev
www.zois-berlin.de
September 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Democracy without protests? In parts of Europe, that’s unimaginable. Protest is not an isolated episode – it has shaped the political order for almost four decades through recurring cycles of crisis, mobilization, and renewal.
I call it protest democracy.
Read it here in @zois.bsky.social Spotlight👇
I call it protest democracy.
Read it here in @zois.bsky.social Spotlight👇
Our new article is out in Social Movement Studies!
We compare workers’ protests in Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy & Romania – from protest tactics to building alliances after Covid-19. It presents the first comparative data of workers’ protests since Covid-19, based on local sources.
We compare workers’ protests in Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy & Romania – from protest tactics to building alliances after Covid-19. It presents the first comparative data of workers’ protests since Covid-19, based on local sources.
Labour unrest in the context of multiple crises: a comparative perspective of Europe
By presenting the first comparative data of trade union and workers’ protests since Covid-19, based on local sources, this article attempts to fill a significant gap in the empirical research on cr...
www.tandfonline.com
September 23, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Our new article is out in Social Movement Studies!
We compare workers’ protests in Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy & Romania – from protest tactics to building alliances after Covid-19. It presents the first comparative data of workers’ protests since Covid-19, based on local sources.
We compare workers’ protests in Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy & Romania – from protest tactics to building alliances after Covid-19. It presents the first comparative data of workers’ protests since Covid-19, based on local sources.
Discuss Data in Bremen and Göttingen provides a ‘safe haven’ for research data on and from the countries in Eastern Europe thus establishing an interactive, community-led platform for like-minded researchers. Eduard Klein tells more about Discuss Data’s history and activities.
DataLab BLOG: The Story of Discuss Data – a Unique Data Hub for Scholars Working on Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia - KonKoop
What solutions do we have when statistics are censored and manipulated and space for academic freedom and discussion is shrinking? Discuss Data in Bremen and Göttingen provides a ‘safe haven’ for rese...
konkoop.de
September 16, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Discuss Data in Bremen and Göttingen provides a ‘safe haven’ for research data on and from the countries in Eastern Europe thus establishing an interactive, community-led platform for like-minded researchers. Eduard Klein tells more about Discuss Data’s history and activities.
In the last issue of the Swiss Forum RGOW – Religion & Society in East and West, I examine the repeating cycles of anti-corruption protests in Bulgaria (available in German).
Wiederkehrende Wellen. Proteste gegen den gekaperten Staat in Bulgarien
Forum RGOW - Religion & Gesellschaft in Ost und West vermittelt Wissen über das östliche Europa und setzt sich für sozial benachteiligte Gruppen ein
rgow.eu
September 8, 2025 at 3:16 PM
In the last issue of the Swiss Forum RGOW – Religion & Society in East and West, I examine the repeating cycles of anti-corruption protests in Bulgaria (available in German).
In 2013, we rose against the oligarchic model in Bulgaria and demanded morality in politics — what dreamers we were! For months we occupied universities and filled the streets. The Balkans carry a long tradition of student movements. An interview for the Bulgarian National Radio.
Протест, морал и приятелство: Наследството на ”Ранобудните”
В рубриката "Разговорът" в ефира на БНР двама от лидерите на студентската окупация от 2013 г. – Ивайло Динев и Лазар Петков...
bnr.bg
August 19, 2025 at 10:48 AM
In 2013, we rose against the oligarchic model in Bulgaria and demanded morality in politics — what dreamers we were! For months we occupied universities and filled the streets. The Balkans carry a long tradition of student movements. An interview for the Bulgarian National Radio.
The protests against the way the judicial system is being weaponised are a part of a new protest cycle – but won’t be the peak of it,” predicted Ivaylo Dinev, a researcher at the Centre for East European and International Studies in Berlin.
Bulgarians Ride New Protest Wave, But Question Potential Impact
Bulgarians are again on the streets demanding change – but whether this popular anti-establishment movement will succeed where earlier ones failed is an open question.
balkaninsight.com
August 19, 2025 at 8:32 AM
The protests against the way the judicial system is being weaponised are a part of a new protest cycle – but won’t be the peak of it,” predicted Ivaylo Dinev, a researcher at the Centre for East European and International Studies in Berlin.
Gave an interview to Bulgarian National Radio on the ongoing anti-corruption protests and the previous in 2013 and 2020.
In summary: Bulgaria is stuck in a repeating cycle—political crisis, protests, new formations, new crisis, more protests. This has continued since the transition.
In summary: Bulgaria is stuck in a repeating cycle—political crisis, protests, new formations, new crisis, more protests. This has continued since the transition.
Ивайло Динев: Протестите се повтарят, защото не се направи преосноваване на демокрацията
"България преповтаря един и същи цикъл. Намираме се в кръг, от който няма изход – политическа криза, протести, леко...
bnr.bg
July 23, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Gave an interview to Bulgarian National Radio on the ongoing anti-corruption protests and the previous in 2013 and 2020.
In summary: Bulgaria is stuck in a repeating cycle—political crisis, protests, new formations, new crisis, more protests. This has continued since the transition.
In summary: Bulgaria is stuck in a repeating cycle—political crisis, protests, new formations, new crisis, more protests. This has continued since the transition.
Reposted by Ivaylo Dinev
Students and citizens in #Serbia are being arrested, beaten, and declared enemies of the state for opposing Vučić's authoritarian regime.
Academic colleagues anywhere in the world, please sign this petition in solidarity with them & spread the message.
Academic colleagues anywhere in the world, please sign this petition in solidarity with them & spread the message.
International Academic Appeal Against Repression in Serbia
We, members of the Serbian academic diaspora and our colleagues from the international academic community, are raising our voices in strong condemnation of the escalating violence, repression, and int...
docs.google.com
July 4, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Students and citizens in #Serbia are being arrested, beaten, and declared enemies of the state for opposing Vučić's authoritarian regime.
Academic colleagues anywhere in the world, please sign this petition in solidarity with them & spread the message.
Academic colleagues anywhere in the world, please sign this petition in solidarity with them & spread the message.
New publication in the DataLab Blog by Guenola Inizan!
Hello Bluesky !
First post to share a short piece on my current research: dispossession and erasure in occupied #Ukraine through the lens of housing seizures.
This still raises many questions, some are outlined here. I’d be happy to connect with anyone interested in this subject!
First post to share a short piece on my current research: dispossession and erasure in occupied #Ukraine through the lens of housing seizures.
This still raises many questions, some are outlined here. I’d be happy to connect with anyone interested in this subject!
'As the lists of dwellings seized by the Russian administration allow the occupation to be documented, the research imperative becomes an ethical one.'
guenolainizan.bsky.social on lists of so-called 'ownerless' properties in occupied #Ukraine in #data-driven research. #KonKoop's DataLab BLOG⤵️
guenolainizan.bsky.social on lists of so-called 'ownerless' properties in occupied #Ukraine in #data-driven research. #KonKoop's DataLab BLOG⤵️
July 3, 2025 at 7:49 AM
New publication in the DataLab Blog by Guenola Inizan!
Our new publication by Gaëlle Le Pavic (Ghent University and United Nations University – CRIS).
Occupation line, Boundary Line, border – the Georgian-Abkhazian divide has many names, reflecting its contested nature.
Gaëlle Le Pavic provides an overview of the transformation of the ceasefire line and the material and immaterial realities it creates.
Read now on the #KonKoop DataLab Blog.
Gaëlle Le Pavic provides an overview of the transformation of the ceasefire line and the material and immaterial realities it creates.
Read now on the #KonKoop DataLab Blog.
DataLab BLOG: In/visible Contested Border: Im/material Evolutions of the Georgian-Abkhazian Divide - KonKoop
How can you study a contested border that is not a fixed line, but an evolving assemblage of material and immaterial elements – including infrastructure, narratives, security practices and lived experiences? Gaëlle le Pavic does so in the case of the Georgian-Abkhazian divide.
konkoop.de
June 10, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Our new publication by Gaëlle Le Pavic (Ghent University and United Nations University – CRIS).
My analysis of the presidential election in Romania:
Simion's high results in the first round are a signal for further restructuring of the political landscape across the region. The multiple crisis creates an opportunity for anti-establishment parties.
Simion's high results in the first round are a signal for further restructuring of the political landscape across the region. The multiple crisis creates an opportunity for anti-establishment parties.
Am Sonntag findet in #Rumänien die Stichwahl zur Präsidentschaft statt. Der rechtspopulistische Kandidat George Simion hatte in der ersten Runde deutlich vorn gelegen. Wofür er und seine Partei stehen, erklärt @ivodinev.bsky.social in einer neuen Expert*innenstimme www.zois-berlin.de/presse/exper...
May 16, 2025 at 1:15 PM
My analysis of the presidential election in Romania:
Simion's high results in the first round are a signal for further restructuring of the political landscape across the region. The multiple crisis creates an opportunity for anti-establishment parties.
Simion's high results in the first round are a signal for further restructuring of the political landscape across the region. The multiple crisis creates an opportunity for anti-establishment parties.
How many people protested?
It's not just a matter of numbers—it’s a question of legitimacy and power.
🎙️ New episode of Roundtable Osteuropa with Kerstin Bischl, Felix Herrmann (DiscussData), and me — on the goals, opportunities, and challenges of researching Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
It's not just a matter of numbers—it’s a question of legitimacy and power.
🎙️ New episode of Roundtable Osteuropa with Kerstin Bischl, Felix Herrmann (DiscussData), and me — on the goals, opportunities, and challenges of researching Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Visibility, Access, Power: Why research data infrastructure matters
With Felix Herrmann, Ivaylo Dinev and Kerstin Bischl
www.zois-berlin.de
May 15, 2025 at 8:58 AM
How many people protested?
It's not just a matter of numbers—it’s a question of legitimacy and power.
🎙️ New episode of Roundtable Osteuropa with Kerstin Bischl, Felix Herrmann (DiscussData), and me — on the goals, opportunities, and challenges of researching Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
It's not just a matter of numbers—it’s a question of legitimacy and power.
🎙️ New episode of Roundtable Osteuropa with Kerstin Bischl, Felix Herrmann (DiscussData), and me — on the goals, opportunities, and challenges of researching Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Reposted by Ivaylo Dinev
#KoDaNetOst, a new project by @centremarcbloch.bsky.social, @ecmiflensburg.bsky.social & ZOiS, was launched with a workshop & website.
Its aims: making #data for social sciences & humanities accessible & discussing means for sustainable collaboration with partners in Eastern Europe: bit.ly/4liXXor
Its aims: making #data for social sciences & humanities accessible & discussing means for sustainable collaboration with partners in Eastern Europe: bit.ly/4liXXor
April 7, 2025 at 9:27 AM
#KoDaNetOst, a new project by @centremarcbloch.bsky.social, @ecmiflensburg.bsky.social & ZOiS, was launched with a workshop & website.
Its aims: making #data for social sciences & humanities accessible & discussing means for sustainable collaboration with partners in Eastern Europe: bit.ly/4liXXor
Its aims: making #data for social sciences & humanities accessible & discussing means for sustainable collaboration with partners in Eastern Europe: bit.ly/4liXXor
Link for registration: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
April 15, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Link for registration: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Reposted by Ivaylo Dinev
The people' - the use of this term is often a signifier of one's political position. Researcher Bojidar Kolov scrutinises how this reference can have several political implications.
Read more in his text for the #KonKoop DataLabBLOG👇
Read more in his text for the #KonKoop DataLabBLOG👇
DataLab BLOG: Constructing ‘the People’: Strategies, Modes, Scales
What does it mean when a political actor refers to ‘the people’? Where do we locate him or her in a political discourse? Bojidar Kolov presents a model that could help answer these questions and much more.
konkoop.de
April 1, 2025 at 3:07 PM
The people' - the use of this term is often a signifier of one's political position. Researcher Bojidar Kolov scrutinises how this reference can have several political implications.
Read more in his text for the #KonKoop DataLabBLOG👇
Read more in his text for the #KonKoop DataLabBLOG👇
📢 New publication!
Constructing ‘the people’ often signals a political stance. Bojidar Kolov examines how this reference carries different political implications—illustrated through the migration debate in Europe and the political theology of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Constructing ‘the people’ often signals a political stance. Bojidar Kolov examines how this reference carries different political implications—illustrated through the migration debate in Europe and the political theology of the Russian Orthodox Church.
DataLab BLOG: Constructing ‘the People’: Strategies, Modes, Scales
What does it mean when a political actor refers to ‘the people’? Where do we locate him or her in a political discourse? Bojidar Kolov presents a model that could help answer these questions and much ...
konkoop.de
April 1, 2025 at 10:12 AM
📢 New publication!
Constructing ‘the people’ often signals a political stance. Bojidar Kolov examines how this reference carries different political implications—illustrated through the migration debate in Europe and the political theology of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Constructing ‘the people’ often signals a political stance. Bojidar Kolov examines how this reference carries different political implications—illustrated through the migration debate in Europe and the political theology of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Reposted by Ivaylo Dinev
Reminder for the #CfA for our very first #DiscussDataLab on „Challenges of Data Collection, Re-use, and Analysis: Public Opinion, Political Debates, and Protests in the Context of the Russo-Ukrainian War“ that will take place in Bremen from 25-27.08.2025.
Info & application: discuss-data.net#datalab
Info & application: discuss-data.net#datalab
March 21, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Reminder for the #CfA for our very first #DiscussDataLab on „Challenges of Data Collection, Re-use, and Analysis: Public Opinion, Political Debates, and Protests in the Context of the Russo-Ukrainian War“ that will take place in Bremen from 25-27.08.2025.
Info & application: discuss-data.net#datalab
Info & application: discuss-data.net#datalab
I'm glad to contribute to this new blog, which aims to explore Eastern and Central Europe, as well as the Balkans, from a scientific perspective. My first essay focuses on the recent developments in Serbia.
views-from-central-and-balkan-countries.eu/the-largest-...
views-from-central-and-balkan-countries.eu/the-largest-...
The Largest Protest in Serbia’s History. – Views from Central Europe and the Balkans
views-from-central-and-balkan-countries.eu
March 21, 2025 at 1:53 PM
I'm glad to contribute to this new blog, which aims to explore Eastern and Central Europe, as well as the Balkans, from a scientific perspective. My first essay focuses on the recent developments in Serbia.
views-from-central-and-balkan-countries.eu/the-largest-...
views-from-central-and-balkan-countries.eu/the-largest-...
Reposted by Ivaylo Dinev
Protests in #Serbia are more than political demonstrations; they fuel a ‘cultural explosion’. Symbols like #Pumpaj and #Ćaci have evolved from peripheral phenomena to central political symbols, shaping collective memory & the political landscape, @katarina-damcevic.bsky.social writes on our blog. ⬇️
Serbia’s Protests as a Cultural Explosion: Symbols, Memory, and the Struggle for Meaning
by Katarina Damčević The protests in Serbia are not only political demonstrations; they are also fueling a ‘cultural explosion’. Symbols of protest, such as ‘Pumpaj!’ and ‘Ćaci’, have evolved from bei...
ostblog.hypotheses.org
March 21, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Protests in #Serbia are more than political demonstrations; they fuel a ‘cultural explosion’. Symbols like #Pumpaj and #Ćaci have evolved from peripheral phenomena to central political symbols, shaping collective memory & the political landscape, @katarina-damcevic.bsky.social writes on our blog. ⬇️