Authoritarian Past, Dystopian Present - Identity in Conflicted "North" Macedonia

Sammanfattning: This thesis in Anthropology researches the identity of Macedonians in the wake of a controversial name change to solve a long standing dispute with Greece. The dispute is based on rivalring historical narratives and the legacy of antique king and conqueror Alexander the Great of ancient Macedon, a region currently shared by Greece and the newly renamed republic of North Macedonia, who both claim descendence from Alexander's Macedon. The current government pushed through the name change despite a failed referendum in order to pursue EU and NATO membership previously blocked by Greece. This thesis explores the identity of Macedonians I would meet during a two week long fieldwork I conducted in April-May 2019. I contextualize Macedonian identity in the setting of the Balkan region and use primarily constructivist theories on nation to investigate the conflicting identities in the post-Yugoslav republic. This thesis looks at what people I met in unofficial circumstances feel about their identity as ”north” Macedonians and their view of their country.