What is it about?
This article analyses developments in memory politics and monument culture in Macedonia since its independence in 1991. It provides a much needed nation wide overview of post-Yugoslav memory politics beyond the capital. The article argues that since then, three repertoires of monument culture have come into existence, further deepening ideological and ethnic divisions in Macedonian politics. These are a Yugoslav repertoire building on communism, a revisionist nationalist Macedonian repertoire, and a new ethnically Albanian narrative. These monument cultures have taken root throughout Macedonia and permeate local and national politics.
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Why is it important?
Recent research has mainly focused on the capital's large scale Skopje 2014 project, an attempt by the previous nationalist government to rewrite Macedonian history for its own benefits - specifically by claiming Alexander the Great. However, this means that three things are neglected: strong continuities with the Yugoslav period; the memory politics of the Albanian minority (ca. 25% of the population); and developments outside of the capital. This article offers an overview of developments in memory politics in Macedonia since 1991 and the almost civil war of 2001.
Perspectives
This article is the result of my first field research abroad, during which I had the opportunity to hear local Macedonians' views on politics and monuments. Often, they speak of a desire to overcome ethnic and ideological divisions that divide politics, but when it comes to concrete monuments or episodes of history, they embrace the divisive ethnic narratives they rejected only minutes before. I hope that this article contributes to a better understanding of how Macedonia's nation building projects and their monument construction have played a role in the everyday politics of difference as well as the large political schisms that continue to haunt Macedonia.
Paul Reef
Radboud Universiteit
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Macedonian Monument Culture Beyond ‘Skopje 2014’, Südosteuropa, December 2018, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1515/soeu-2018-0037.
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