Macedonia

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The contributors to this collection explore the contemporary repercussions of the Macedonian Question, which has long been at the heart of Balkan politics. Macedonia has been contested by its four neighbors - Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Albania - during and since the demise of the Ottoman Empire. But the Macedonian Question extends far beyond the contested borders of Macedonia to immigrant communities in Europe, Australia and North America. This volume recognizes Macedonia as a global issue, and focuses on the politics of identity and difference in both homeland and diaspora. The book argues that Macedonia as place and as concept is forged within a transnational network of diasporas, local communities, states and international institutions. The contributors examine the increasingly important role of transnational bodies - including the European Union and human rights NGOs - in regulating relationships between states and minority groups, as well as in promoting multiculturalism and civic participation. They consider the role of scholarship and the media in defining Macedonia and its inhabitants. They also draw attention to the struggles of individuals in constructing, negotiating and even transforming their identities in the face of competing nationalism's and memories. In the process, they reevaluate 'ethnicity' as a conceptual tool for understanding difference in the region, and raise questions about the implications of recognizing, and not recognizing, difference at the political level.

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