What will a name change mean for (North) Macedonia’s identity?

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20 August 2018

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On 17 June 2018, Macedonian and Greek ministers signed an agreement aimed at resolving a long-lasting and intractable dispute over the name ‘Macedonia’. The former Yugoslav country is to be renamed ‘North Macedonia’, and in return Greece has agreed to drop its veto on Macedonia’s European Union and NATO membership.

This historic agreement should put an end to a 27-year dispute, which started back in 1991 when Macedonia gained independence from the disintegrating Yugoslavia. For its southern neighbour Greece, the name of the newly-founded country implied a claim on the northern Greek region of Macedonia. Greece also interpreted the name of the new nation as an attempt to the appropriate symbols and historical figures of Ancient Greece.

Ever since, the Republic of Macedonia has been referred to (internationally) as FYROM, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The name crisis has also prolonged Macedonia’s path to EU accession; the south-east European country has had EU candidate status since 2005, but membership progress has been halted until a resolution to the name issue was reached.

To many outsiders, to keep a name dispute running for so long at such a cost seems counter-productive. But for Macedonia, it was never just about the name – it’s a fundamental question about the country’s identity.

“The question of identity and shared culture were critical questions in this dispute,” says Ljubomir Frčkoski, a law professor at Saints Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje and a former Interior and Foreign Minister. The country’s borders fluctuated over the centuries, so the territory of today’s Macedonia successively belonged to the Roman and Byzantine empires, the medieval Serbian and Bulgarian empires followed by the Ottoman Empire, for nearly 500 years, up until the First Balkan War in 1912. Many historians and ethnographers classified the inhabitants of Macedonia as ethnic Bulgarians before that time, although there is evidence of 19th century immigrants to the United States stating their identity as ‘Macedonian’ on official immigration documents.

Frčkoski points out that Macedonia is a small nation that shares many elements of Bulgarian and Albanian cultures. The country itself is relatively young, since it was Tito’s Yugoslavia following the Second World War that created Macedonia within the borders as we know them today, promoting a Macedonian language and a Macedonian identity.

“We can live with the prefix ‘North’ in the name of the country. It was never just about that name only,” explains Frčkoski. “The name is also linked to the concept of our identity, of who we are. […]it is something of a matter of ‘survival’ when you are a small Slavic nation of only two million people that can easily be ‘assimilated’ by your bigger neighbours,” he explains.

Skopje 2014 and the ‘antiquisation’ process

In a bid to affirm its national identity, in recent years Macedonia turned to antiquity and the idea that the country’s forebearers descended from Alexander the Great, the conqueror-king of Macedonia who reigned from 336 to 323 BC. The country’s main highway and airport were both named after the lionised warrior that Macedonian nationalists see as their own – the issue is, so do the Greeks.

Macedonia’s attempt at what became known as ‘antiquisation’ was best embodied in the Skopje 2014 urban renewal project. The ambitious building spree, which began in 2010, changed the face of the Macedonian capital, and within a year Skopje’s city centre became an open-air museum dotted with statues, bridges and facades remodelled in a classical and baroque style.

Although, on the paper, the project aimed to give a boost to the city’s tourism industry, it was mainly perceived as an attempt to change the city’s, and indeed, the country’s cultural legacy.

The crown jewel of the city’s new monument park is a statue known officially as ‘The Warrior on a Horse’, a 22 metre-horseman surrounded by lions that is presumed to be Alexander the Great. “This is our way of saying [up yours] to them [the Greeks],” said Antonio Milososki, Macedonia’s former foreign minister, to the Guardian back in 2011.

The identity-building narrative as reflected in the Skopje 2014 project disregarded important building blocks of Macedonian history, such as the Ilinden Uprising, a revolt against the Ottoman Empire that took place in the small town of Kruševo and resulted in the creation of the short-lived Kruševo Republic (which eventually became a symbol of the Republic of Macedonia’s national liberation).

This state-driven Macedonia identity also downplayed the country’s socialist heritage. In an academic paper on the Skopje 2014 project, Maja Muhić, an associate professor at the South East European University in Tetovo, Macedonia, quotes a survey conducted in 2013. When asked about the historical period that best defines Macedonian national identity, 31 per cent of respondents said the revolutionary period while 30 per cent said the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. “According to the results of the poll only 5.8 per cent of the general population viewed antiquity as an historically and culturally defining period for Macedonia,” says Muhić.

That said, Muhić, who co-authored Redefining National Identity in Macedonia. Analyzing Competing Origins Myths and Interpretations through Hegemonic Representations, tells Equal Times that: “I don’t think the project is to be seen as an act of spite towards our southern neighbour. The project served more as a tool for then ruling party, VMRO-DPMNE [The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity], to affirm their historical role in [forging] the country’s identity,” she suggests.

The politicalisation of Macedonian identity

The right-wing VMRO-DPMNE was the mastermind and major investor behind Skopje 2014. In 2015, the opposition aired wiretapped conversations stating that the party’s leader and former prime minister Nikola Gruevski was the “hidden hand” behind the capital’s makeover, as reported by Balkan Insight.

It is important to note that Skopje 2014 also neglected the country’s Ottoman heritage as well as the influence of Albanian culture. Ethnic Albanians, who make up about one-quarter of the country’s population, were presented under VMRO-DPMNE rule as a threat to Macedonia, with aspirations to create a Greater Albania.

“In small nations, nationalist groups find their niche in this particular ideology of ‘defending the nation’ from the inside and the outside. In Macedonia, that happened via rhetoric about how Bulgarians don’t like us, the international community doesn’t particularly like us either, and how Macedonia’s Albanian minority is conspiring from the inside against us[...]. The right-wing party finds its place as a party that is defending us – the only party defending us,” says Frčkoski.

Gruevski’s party stayed in power for 11 years, and his quasi-authoritarian rule started to crumble only after a 2015 scandal revealed that the ruling party ordered the wiretapping of some 20,000 citizens, including journalists, civilians and political opponents. It was also revealed that Gruevski, along with many highly-ranked officials from his party, might have been involved in abuses of power, embezzlement and fraud. The scandal led to month-long protests and, eventually, to a peaceful transfer of power to the new centre-left Social Democrat government.

As for Skopje 2014’s legacy, the project is most likely to be remembered as a cautionary tale of corruption and embezzlement, rather than a successful identity-building project, according to Muhić.

“When it comes to the national identity dimension, it might change in a couple of generations; it depends on what young people will be taught in schools and how they are going to refer to the monuments. But considering the deal with Greece, according to which all the monuments referring to ancient history need to state their connection to Hellenic culture, it is hard to project what the future identity development potential [of Skopje 2014] will be,” she says.

The EU “bait”

The fall of the Gruevski government has had a significant impact on the perception of the deadlock surrounding the name issue in Macedonia, according to Marko Trosanovski, president of Skopje-based NGO Institute for Democracy (Societas Civilis). According to a February 2018 poll conducted by the institute, the majority of Macedonian citizens support a compromise solution to the name dispute.

“This is the fourth time our NGO has conducted such a survey, and it was the first time that we could see a major shift in people’s perception of the deal,” explains Trosanovski. While in a previous survey, conducted in 2015, some 40 per cent of Macedonians polled were willing to accept a compromise agreement, in the most recent poll that percentage increased to over 60 per cent.

“The past government had a Euro-sceptic narrative: they were calling the EU ‘a union of hypocrites’, saying we wouldn’t get anything from EU membership.” With the new government, “that has changed,” says Trosanovski.

Even though public approval for the EU and NATO membership has decreased over the years, it still hovers “at around 70 per cent,” he says. The prospect of joining the EU – and enjoying the social stability and better standard of life that membership promises – could therefore be very persuasive in convincing Macedonians to approve the name deal.

Current Prime Minister Zoran Zaev certainly hopes so. The agreement with Greece still needs to be approved at a referendum scheduled for 30 September, and Zaev announced that he would step down if the name change is vetoed by the people. He claims, however, to be confident about its success. “I expect huge support and a serious percentage…in line with the percentage of people who said they want to join the European Union and NATO,” Zaev recently said in an interview.

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# On 22 August 2018 at 04:36, By VASIL

MAKEDONHJA NA MAKEDONCITE
# On 22 August 2018 at 13:46, By BK

This is for the people that understand politics. To the fanatics on either side that hold onto scant facts thousands of years old it will change little.
Macedonia as a separate country and people has existed for well over 2000 years in various forms as all the maps through history indicate. Tito, the Turks, the Romans or anyone else does not dispute that fact and has not changed it. In 1914 Macedonia was partitioned and presented to the lapdogs of the first world war lords. Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece. Fact.
Solun was a great prize for Greece because 1. It had a sea port that was a great thing at the time but more importantly 2. It was a great agricultural belt that to this day feeds the rest of Greece. Greece knew very well in 2014 that if Macedonia wanted to they could have disputed the 100 year Bucharest treaty. That fact is what created the “Greek Macedonian” lie. Of course Macedonia did not and logically it could not due to financial and other lacking capabilities.
Pre 1988 the word Macedonia was blasphemy in the then named Northern Greece but when Greece realized that Macedonia was seeking independence from Yugoslavia they wisely started putting steps in place in the Balkans and internationally to rebrand this region into Greek Macedonia. They even funded various “Macedonian” schools and communities in the Balkans, Canada, Australia and America in the attempt to rebrand the people of the part of Macedonia that was handed to them. They provided Greek national passports and other benefits at that time. I didn’t read that in a book that I saw it in various Macedonian communities at the time.
Over time those very calculated steps have paid off for Greece as they have managed to convince the EU that their version or view of the matter is correct. The politicians of Macedonia at that time were very eager to enter the EU so they conceded some ground to the very well planned and executed lie. This opened the door to the Greek agenda and concreted the lie in the eyes of the powers that be at that time. Macedonia should have never conceded. Their first big mistake. I am in the hope that the current government doesn’t make the same mistake but they most probably will. Greece is very advanced in politics and lobbying even though when they say the word Macedonia they want to choke they have swallowed their pride and made their newly formed Macedonian region the golden child of Greece. They know that Macedonians have always been a separate people with a different culture but they have progressed to Hellenize them, steal their culture and rename it Greek just as they have previously with the Turkish portions. I commend their Governors on their political prowess and ability to lobby the world with lies and making them look like fact. There is a lesson there for the Macedonians, lose the battle win the war. Unfortunately it won’t be learned as Macedonians will not swallow.
The current situation and urgency. Macedonia currently has many nations interested in investment in Macedonia. Turkey and China have already invested heavily in major projects but the current powers that be do not like the way that is looking, that’s why we have an Embassy built in Skopje that looks to be totally out of place but in fact it’s very well placed because from there it can influence the Balkan power base by carefully mapping out the new course of history.
The reason Macedonia is well placed is because it is the corridor into Europe. Now another great power with its partner countries just happens to have a major gas pipeline plan to feed the rest of Europe. That plan has already caused one Bulgarian Government to be toppled because they were starting to side with the pipeline.
Greece clearly understands that if Macedonia does not enter the EU that they may start siding with the countries that want the pipeline, if that occurs Greece stands to get excluded and they will also lose their positioning with the powers that are against it. They also know that if Macedonia is not accepted into the EU and this path is taken Turkey will be sitting right on their Northern border via their heavy investments in Macedonia. Why do you think Greece is consistently bailed out of debt even though they have been consistently bleeding the EU since it joined ? The EU is a business they win on some and lose on others providing overall they are making money they will prop whoever they need to. They also need expansion and with Countries leaving and wanting to leave they need new ground to exploit.
Now if the current governments of Macedonia and Greece were smart they would put aside the crazy arguments. Macedonia is Macedonia and Greece is Greece. You have a portion gifted in Northern Greece that has Macedonians living there, give them their peace and allow them to be what they are.
You then form a partnership and let the EU in then tax them heavily to use the newly formed corridor spanning from the seaport to all of Europe and use the possible formation of partnerships with the pipeline countries as a bargaining chip to get a better deal for both countries, Greece and Macedonia. This would benefit both countries instead there is this ridiculous name argument that most Greeks know is a falsity yet they push like a child thinking that if they say something enough times it will become fact. For a Greek to say Macedonia is great is like a Jew saying Hitler did great things for the Jewish people. Wake up Greeks you look ridiculous to the rest of the world. Good example Australia has a region called Macedon maybe you should start lobbying the Australian government explaining to them that Ancient Greeks actually named that region and Australians do not have the right to call it Macedon. Wake up that’s how crazy your argument is to the rest of the world
# On 23 August 2018 at 01:02, By vwp

the previous comment said it all.The story was sort of slanted..It could have used some comment from the vmro side.
# On 23 August 2018 at 06:20, By cons

Where do you look up your ’history’? Not your local library.
A nation built on sand will fall. And your delusional 2000 year ’Macedonian’ history is falling as we speak. What is wrong with building a nation on a solid foundation of history? Macedonians are so enraged, that they want to steal Greek history.
Your ancestors were Bulgarians. Why is that so horrible? You broke away from the Bulgarian people in the late 19th, early 20th century. You are a south Slavic people. You now call yourselves Macedonian. I accept that.
You have nothing to do with the ancient world. Who the ancient Macedonians were is irrelevant. Your history starts around the 6th century AD.
All your paranoid, conspiracies are delusional. Macedonians are so angry because they lost their homes and property, that they can’t think straight.
Now Greece will show you what politics is really all about, with this Prespas Agreement. And because your ’historians’ write a ’politicised’ version of history, we will also help you to write down the truth about your past ancestors.

You cannot change the past. What happened yesterday is fixed forever. You can only uncover the past. You cannot re-interpret the past.

I hope one day North Macedonia and Greece get along, and if there are Greek citizens of ethnic Macedonian background, then why wouldn’t Tsipras allow them to express their culture freely, in northern Greece? If both countries are friends, don’t you think he would allow it?
# On 23 August 2018 at 13:08, By BK

Cons - Simple response to your well peddled propaganda if there is a North Macedonia then there is a east west and south - Vardar Pirin Prespa and Agean Same people, different borders and rulers with slightly different agendas

Smart Greek politics ????

Those same people have identified as Macedonian up to 5000 years prior to Alexander and have clearly stated throughout history that they are not Greek as have the Greeks of that time confirmed many a time.

Delusional me or you ??

Propaganda and theft will never beat the will of honest people, truth always rises to the surface, only a matter of time
# On 25 August 2018 at 21:11, By Makedonec

Macedonians and Macedonia was never Greek Gypsy and never part of Greece (HellAss) Because the Greek Gypsies are of Turko-Albanian DNA, Roots, Ancestry, Blood and etc... .
# On 26 August 2018 at 06:06, By Elefterios

The Greeks are the victims here. Fyroms aggression in forging a false history is the problem. A Bulgarian speaking Slav of Yugoslavia cannot have exclusivity to a Greek name without a qualifier. When something is named incorrectly from the start the consequences are devastating. Fyrom has been decimated by polarisation of its society. Slav vs antique, antique vs Albanian, Albanian vs Slav. A sad nation . One that needs cariculum correction .
# On 12 September 2018 at 13:00, By Macedonia

Macedonec So if Greeks are lying about history and are in fact gypsies or/and Macedonia and Macedonians are not ethnic Greek ancestors, tell me something my slavic friend. Please give me the meaning of Alexander’s the Great name in your language (slavic) or Phillip’s his father name, or his mother’s name Olympias. Or if you find these difficult, please tell me the meaning of the names Perdiccas and/or Lysimachus, generals and Diadochi of Alexander the Great. And please also tell me the similarities of Gypsies with Greeks, because I’m Greek and I have seen Turks, Turko-Albanians, Albanians, Gypsies, Bulgarians etc around in my country and we Greeks are not the same as them, in terms of language, pronunciation, appearance, color of skin etc.
# On 19 September 2018 at 18:56, By Nick the Greek

Macedon is Place-name. Macedonian is People-name. Both belong to Greek world.

Macedon was Greek Kingdom. Hence, Macedonians have always been Greek-speaking Hellenic-peoples. A regional historical people-group of ethnic-Greek stock.

Names can be adopted inherited or imposed. Macedonians inherited their people-name from previous generations of Greeks.

Conclusion: Macedonians have always been Greek. From since the days of King Karanus (808- 778 BC).

Slavic-speaking (soon to be) Northern Macedonians should be respectful with whom they neighbour. Why? Because nobody is more Macedonian than Greek-speaking Hellenic-Macedonians. Hierarchically prima to other, newer, (so called) Macedonians.
# On 17 January 2019 at 10:33, By GOD

MACEDONIAN = HELLENIC it’s as simple as that.
# On 17 January 2019 at 10:34, By GOD

MACEDONIAN = HELLENIC
It’s as simple as that.
# On 2 March 2019 at 15:51, By Macedonian

Just like we did not support any website/individual that used the F-word,
we will not support any website/individual that uses the N-word.

Our name is #Macedonia. Our ethnicity, culture, & language are #Macedonian. If you use anything else, you are not a friend to #Macedonians
http://www.historyofmacedonia.org/ConciseMacedonia/Documents.html
# On 11 March 2019 at 22:00, By Peter Smith

The ancient macedonians were always portrayed as Greeks and nothing else...Recently visiting the British museum in London I have no doubts the ancient macedonians were definitely hellenes..As the evidence was overwhelming..Macedonia statues coins busts had inscriptions in Greek lettering and can still be read today in the hellenic language....Slavs like the northern macedonians are a sponsored myth and could no way have links with ancient antiquity as they arrived in the Balkans after the demise of the ancient macedonians...Bulgaria and Serbia have more in common with slavic macedonia as these nations linguistically speak slavic and also write in cyrillic like most slavic nations...
# On 16 August 2021 at 12:47, By Nick

I believed that the political problem was solved by the "treaty of Prespa", but it seems that a lot of citizens from both countries prefer the previous situation. The treaty acknowledges the Macedonian language and the Ethnic Macedonians. What else do they want? To establish the "Aegean Macedonia" ? Until today they said that Greece was the problem for the acceptance in the EU, but now Bulgaria (and possibly other members) don’t want them . North Macedonia continues the propaganda that the ethnicity of Ancient Macedonians was not Greek , and their language was not Greek (which cannot be proved). It seems that they don’t accept the treaty that they signed.
# On 9 September 2021 at 05:03, By Greek

Greeks warned in good faith not to recognize he former Yugoslav region of Vardar as "Macedonia". Now you see the results. Half the country now ridiculously claims to be ancient Macedonians while the other half hides that they used to self-identify as Bulgarians.

Unfortunately very few people have the integrity to admit they made a mistake recognizing these obvious frauds as "Macedonians’. Instead nearly everyone, including mainstream press and human rights groups, unethically tries to downplay they obvious historical propaganda and irredentism against Greece (and ironically Bulgaria too).

When people that claimed to Greeks to speak for history and ethnics of this issue started to effectively lie to us about events in their own lifetime, pretending we were wrong to object, their lectures about alleged history and ethics became moot. Antihellenic bigots. Period.
# On 12 November 2022 at 06:25, By Koko

I LOVE ALL THE DELUSIONAL BULGSRIANS!!!

YOU WILL NEVER BE MACEDONIANS

MACEDONIA, ALEXANDER AND PHILIP WILL ALWAYS AND FOREVER BE

HELLENES!!!

CRY MORE YOU DERANGED BULGARS!!!

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

What will a name change mean for (North) Macedonia’s identity?

Skopje 2014 and the ‘antiquisation’ process

The politicalisation of Macedonian identity

The EU “bait”

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