Between Group Status and Individual Benefits: The Case of Skopje

Piacentini, Arianna

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-39189-8_4

Arianna Piacentini²

114 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter builds upon empirical material collected in Skopje in 2016 and goes deeper into the Macedonian reality. The discussion begins with the Yugoslav generation of parents, precedes surveying the post-Yugoslav generation of young adults, and concludes by giving the reader a complete family overview. By digging into the Yugoslav experience and the current ethnopolitics, the chapter shows how, and why, the two generations surveyed seems to be only superficially similar. Exploring their perspectives, opinions, and modalities of interactions allows us to understand why, in the case of Macedonia, we cannot properly talk about inter-generational continuity.

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Notes

1.
Father, age 60, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, August 2016.
2.
Mother, age 56, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, August 2016.
3.
Mother, age 60, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, April 2016.
4.
Mother, age 55, ethnic Serb, Skopje, March 2016.
5.
Father, age 59, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, May 2016.
6.
Mother, age 51, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, May 2016.
7.
Father, age 60, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, August 2016.
8.
Father, age 58, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, September 2016.
9.
Father, age 52, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, July 2016.
10.
Father, age 58, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, September 2016.
11.
Mother, age 60, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, March 2016.
12.
Mother, age 55, ethnic Serb, Skopje, March 2016.
13.
Father, age 58, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, September 2016.
14.
After the Kosovo riots in 1980, Macedonians saw Albanian nationalism and irredentism as a menace to both the territorial integrity of the republic, and the very existence of the Macedonian nation. For further details, see Chap. 2.
15.
Father, age 58, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, September 2016.
16.
Father, age 62, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, April 2016.
17.
Father, age 52, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, July 2061.
18.
Mother, age 51, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, May 2016.
19.
Mother, age 57, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, September 2016.
20.
Mother, age 51, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, July 2016.
21.
Father, age 61, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, April 2016.
22.
Father, age 57, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, May 2016.
23.
Mother, age 60, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, March 2016.
24.
The term šiptar/shqiptar is a pejorative term used to refer to Albanians in a negative way.
25.
Father, age 56, ethnic Serb, Skopje, May 2016.
26.
Mother, age 55, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, April 2016.
27.
Mother, age 56, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, May 2016.
28.
Father, age 58, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, September 2016.
29.
The interviews were conducted from February to September 2016, a highly tense period, for Macedonia. The political crisis was at its peak; in April 2016 the ‘Colourful Revolution’ began, and it also was a time of electoral campaign. Moreover, VMRO-DPMNE was publicly accused of money laundering, corruption, and non-transparent employment in state institutions—therefore, to openly support VMRO was by many seen as a shame.
30.
See previous note.
31.
Father, age 62, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, April 2016.
32.
Mother, age 51, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, July 2016.
33.
Mother, age 58, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, April 2016.
34.
Daughter, age 27, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, March 2016.
35.
Father, age 52, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, July 2016.
36.
Daughter, age 27, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, March 2016.
37.
Daughter, age 29, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, March 2016.
38.
Son, age 28, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, February 2016.
39.
This reflection concerns the city of Skopje while, generally, the majority–minority status of each group depends on the group’s size and consequent politico-institutional power detained in the specific area and context considered.
40.
Son, age 25, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, April 2016.
41.
Daughter, age 26, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, July 2016.
42.
Son, age 26, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, March 2016.
43.
Son, age 25, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, April 2016.
44.
Son, age 26 ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, March 2016.
45.
Son, age 25, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, July 2016.
46.
Kafanas are typical Balkan local bistros serving alcoholic beverages and coffee, traditional food and light snacks (meze).
47.
Son, age 28, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, February 2016.
48.
Daughter, age 26, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, July 2016.
49.
The Colorful Revolution began in April 2016 and it consisted of massive everyday protests, mainly held in the city of Skopje, against the government.
50.
The project ‘Skopje 2014’, ideated by Nikola Gruevski (former Prime Minister and leader of VMRO) foresaw, among other things, the building of statues of both ancient Macedonian figures and other of Macedonia’s historical figures and heroes. The project resulted in being quite controversial for many reasons, such as the non-transparent investments and the conveyed nationalist narrative (see Piacentini 2019a. ‘Make Macedonia Great Again—The New Face of Skopje and the Macedonians Identity Dilemma’ in E. Doğan (ed.) Reinventing Eastern Europe—Imaginarıes, Identities and Transformations, London: Transnational Press London, pp. 77–93; Vangeli 2011. ‘Nation building ancient Macedonian style: the origins and the effects of the so-called antiquization in Macedonia’. Nationality Papers, 39: 1, pp. 13–32).
51.
Daughter, age 28, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, May 2016.
52.
Daughter, age 29, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, March 2016.
53.
Son, age 26, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, April 2016.
54.
Son, age 25, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, May 2016.
55.
Son, age 26, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, March 2016.
56.
Daughter, age 28, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, May 2016.
57.
Son, age 28, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, February 2016.
58.
Son, age 25, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, April 2016.
59.
Daughter, age 27, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, August 2016.
60.
Daughter, age 28, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, May 2016.
61.
Daughter, age 27, ethnic Albanian, Skopje, March 2016.
62.
Anonymous, age 28, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, May 2016.
63.
Daughter, age 29, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, March 2016.
64.
Son, age 26, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, April 2016.
65.
Daughter, age 28, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, May 2016.
66.
Daughter, age 29, ethnic Macedonian, Skopje, March 2016.

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Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
Arianna Piacentini

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Piacentini, A. (2020). Between Group Status and Individual Benefits: The Case of Skopje. In: Ethnonationality’s Evolution in Bosnia Herzegovina and Macedonia. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39189-8_4

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39189-8_4
Published: 29 May 2020
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-39188-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-39189-8
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