Macedonia and Identity Politics After the Prespa Agreement

Description

This book explores issues of national identity, history, and language in light of the 2018 Prespa Agreement. Designed to resolve a protracted and bitter dispute, the agreement signed by the Macedonian and Greek foreign ministers on the banks of the Prespa lake stipulated that the Republic of Macedonia change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia. The chapters examine the social, political, and economic conditions and events that led to the agreement and the implications and consequences for identity politics in the region. Consideration is given to the ways in which, and the reasons why, identity/identities, difference/differences, modes of belonging, and experiences of injustice and discrimination have been mobilized. By focusing on the Prespa Agreement, the collection also offers valuable insight into the processes involved in (re)making boundaries, (re)defining ethnic and national identities, (re)inventing citizenship, and (re)writing national histories. Bringing together expert contributors with intimate knowledge of, and long-term engagement with, the region, this volume will be of interest to scholars and students of anthropology, Slavic and East European studies, history, and international relations. Vasiliki P. Neofotistos is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, USA. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Figures Tables Contributors Acknowledgments Introduction: Macedonia: What’s in a Name? The Prespa Agreement and the Macedonian Question The Road to Prespa: Post-Independence Developments The Terms of Agreement The Chapters Acknowledgments Notes References 1. “Three Countries, Two Lakes, One Future”: The Prespa Lakes and the Signing of the Prespa Agreement The Capital of the Bulgarian Empire Delimiting the Borders of the Balkans Ground Zero of the Greek Civil War The Transboundary Prespa Park: “Three Countries, Two Lakes, One Future” Prespa: “The Lake of Reconciliation” Conclusion: Macedonia as a Transboundary Place Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography 2. The Hollow Signifier “PRESPA”: Some Reflections on the Lake, The Agreement, and the State Introduction Anatomy of the Prespa Agreement The Prespa Lake Between nature, Politics, and History The Materiality of the Lake Conclusion: Prespa Between the Lake, The Agreement, and the Place of Abandonment Notes References Websites 3. A Glass Half Full or a Poisoned Chalice?: The Prespa Agreement and the Modern Macedonian Language Introduction Article 1(3c) of the PA: The Recognition of Macedonian Article 7(4) of the PA: Macedonian is a South Slavic Language Articles 7(2, 3) of the PA: The Problem of Erasure Article 8(5): The Question of Dialect Atlases Bulgaria: The Bumblebee in the Ointment An Inconclusive Conclusion Notes References Internet Sources Cited Directly in Footnotes 4. When the Ethnographic Field Gets Unfriendly: Identity Politics and Censorship in the Greek Region of Macedonia in Light of the Prespa Agreement Surveillance and the Multiple Levels of Censorship Reactions Caused by the Study A) Systematic Triggering and Management of Protest B) The Mobilization of the Judiciary Speaking About Silence: Methodological Considerations—Food for Thought Aknowledgments Notes References Websites 5. Voters and Clients Elections in Florina Before and After the Prespa Accord Topoi and Actors Rainbow Promises Patrons and Clients Accord and Discord Deep State Acknowledgments Notes References 6. The Agreement that Brought the Nation to Completion and Extinction: Macedonian Political Parties and the Framing of the Prespa Agreement Introduction The Contours of National Identity Methodological Design Identity Politics within Party Discourses Data Presentation The Agreement Brings a Better Future Because … Identity is Disambiguated, Preserved, and Protected The Agreement is a Threat to Identity Because … The Agreement is a Threat to Sovereignty/Statehood The Agreement is a Threat to National Identity Discussion Conclusion Notes References 7. Seeing Double: Political Polarization and Identity Politics in Macedonia, Before and After the Prespa Agreement The Puzzle of Doubles Doubled Identity: From Recognition Struggles to Representation Struggles From Bubbles to Doubles: Popular Culture, Mass Media, and Political Polarization Antiquization and Reshaping the Macedonian Public Freedom Square and 28.03.09 Skopje 2014 The Contours of European Macedonia Mass Protests and Student Plenums I Heart GTC The Colorful Revolution Prespa Agreement Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes References 8. Innovation after Prespa Postsocialism and the European Dream “Selling” Prespa Without Nationalism Innovation in North Macedonia Post-Prespa Innovation and its Challenges What’s Next for Macedonia’s Innovation Ecosystem? Notes References 9. Fantasies of Citizenship: Post-Territorial Nationalism and Macedonian Emigrants in Turkey Post-Territorial Nationalism and Dual-Citizenship The Kin-State Clause as An Exclusionary Mechanism in North Macedonia Turkish Engagement and Reticence in North Macedonia The Elusive Search for Macedonian Citizenship “Rightful” Citizenship: The Past as a Claim to a Better Present Conclusion References Appendix 1 Agreement Preamble Part 1 Settlement of the Difference on the Name, The Pending Issues Related to it and Entrenchment of Good Neighborly Relations Article 1 Article 2 Article 3 Article 4 Article 5 Article 6 Article 7 Article 8 Part 2 Intensification and Enrichment of Cooperation Between the Two Parties Article 9 Diplomatic Relations Article 10 Cooperation in the Context of International and Regional Organizations and Fora Article 11 Political and Societal Cooperation Article 12 Economic Cooperation Article 13 Article 14 Cooperation on the Fields of Education, Science, Culture, Research, Technology, Health, and Sports Article 15 Police and Civil Protection Cooperation Article 16 Defense Cooperation Article 17 Treaty Relations Article 18 Part 3 Settlement of Disputes Article 19 Final Clauses Article 20 Notes Appendix 2 Note Index