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Nationalism As Ideology: a Reflection on the Group Remaking Tendencies in Macedonia

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Nationalism As Ideology: a Reflection on the Group Remaking Tendencies in Macedonia Nationalism as Ideology: A Reflection on the Group Remaking Tendencies in Macedonia Master Thesis for the award of the academic degree of Master of Arts (MA) at the Karl-Franzens-University of Graz submitted by: Branimir Staletovik at the Centre for Southeast European Studies Supervisor: Univ. Professor Florian Bieber Graz, 2015 Table of Contents Introduction............................................................................................................................1 The Rise of Nationalism in Macedonia................................................................................1 Chapter I: Nationalism as Ideology .....................................................................................5 Antiquization and Skopje 2014 – a critical reflection on the existing approaches ..............5 From Identity to Ideology ....................................................................................................8 Beyond Identity..................................................................................................................10 Nationalism as Ideology ....................................................................................................13 Thesis Goals and Methods .................................................................................................16 Nationalism in Macedonia and the Post-Yugoslav States..................................................18 Chapter II: The evolvement of ancient narrative in Macedonia and ‘diaspora’...........24 A Historical Reflection on the Development of Ancient Narrative in the Balkans and Macedonia .........................................................................................................................24 Diaspora Nationalism.........................................................................................................30 Chapter III: The ancient narrative in independent Macedonia – why narrative shift did not occur? ..................................................................................................................38 Macedonian Context .........................................................................................................39 Between Structure and Agency ..........................................................................................48 Chapter IV: “Antiquization campaign” and shift of dominant national narrative ......53 Post-conflict Macedonia ....................................................................................................54 Agency, Nationalism and State .........................................................................................56 Nationalism as Ideology – “Antiquization” and “Skopje 2014”........................................61 The Dissemination of the Ancient Narrative and Ideologisation Process .........................63 Beyond Nation-Building and Identity ...............................................................................70 Concluding Remarks ...........................................................................................................72 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................75 Abstract This thesis examines the recent rise of nationalism in Macedonia, which unprecedentedly highlights the importance of ancient symbolism and narrative. The central focus lies on the process of narrative shift, that is, a tendency to make the ancient narrative a dominant national narrative. I tried to show that the scholars’ focus in this regard is predominantly structural, which prevent us from a comprehensive analysis of the Macedonian case. While acknowledging the significance of larger factors, I tried to explain the ongoing phenomenon by focusing on the role of agency and state. Moreover, unlike the state of art in this regard, I attempt to argue that the rise of nationalism in Macedonia is better explainable by looking at ideology, rather than ‘identity’ and ‘nation-building’. Zusammenfassung In dieser Arbeit wird der jüngste Aufstieg von Nationalismus in Mazedonien analysiert, der wie nie zuvor, die Bedeutung antiker Symbole und Narrativen unterstreicht. Der zentrale Fokus dieser Studie liegt auf dem “Narrativ-Transfer” Prozess, bzw. auf der Tendenz das antike Narrativ zum dominanten nationalen Narrativ in Mazedonien zu hervorzuheben. In der Arbeit habe ich versucht auf bisherige Forschungen in diesem Themenbereich einzugehen, welche hauptsächlich Struktur-fokussiert sind. Während diese Analyse einen sozial-politischen Kontext in den Vordergrund stellt, liegt der Hauptfokus auf der Rolle von regierenden Eliten und dem Staat. Im Vergleich zur bisherigen Forschung über das Thema des „neuen mazedonischen Nationalismus“, demonstriert diese Arbeit, dass man den Nationalismus in Mazedonien besser durch Ideologie verstehen und erklären kann, und weniger durch die Kategorien, wie „Identität“ und/oder „Nation-Building.“ INTRODUCTION The Rise of Nationalism in Macedonia Before I reflect on the recent rise of nationalism in Macedonia championed by the ruling conservative party VMRO-DPMNE, which unprecedentedly highlights the importance of the ancient past, events and heroes, I would like to clarify what I mean by the “rise of nationalism.” This does not imply that the nationalism was present in a (significantly) smaller-scale before the VMRO-DPMNE took the power in Macedonia, nor that the nationalism has to be discussed as a detrimental and violent force. As a matter of fact, as we have learned from Michael Billig’s banal nationalism,1 Ernest Gelner’s account of nationalism as a product of modernity,2 but also from other studies reflecting on the everyday nationalism,3 as well as from Siniša Malešević’s thesis on nationalism as a dominant operative ideology of modernity,4 it would be misleading to reduce nationalism to retrograde and conflict nature. This view dominates in political and journalistic discourses, yet, things seem to be far more complex. In order to approach nationalism methodologically and conceptually better, it is of crucial importance to avoid moral connotation surrounding it. This, however, does not mean that we should avoid criticizing and condemning its conflictual potential. To the contrary, we shall be able to better understand its ubiquitousness – and condemning it accordingly if necessary – if we conceptualize it beyond the violent and retrograde assumptions often ascribed to it. As Billig observes: “Analysts, such as Giddens, are reserving the term ‘nationalism’ for outbreaks of ‘hot’ nationalist passion, which arise in times of social disruption and which are reflected in extreme social movements. In so doing, they are pointing to a recognizable phenomenon – indeed, one which is all too familiar in the contemporary world. The problem is not what such theories describe as nationalist, but what they omit. If the term nationalism is applied only to forceful social movements, something slips from theoretical awareness.5[…] It 1 Michael Billig, Banal Nationalism (London: Sage Publications, 1995). 2 Ernest Gellner, Nations and Nationalism (Oxford: Blackwell, 1983). 3 See for example, Jon E. Fox and Cynthia Miller-Idriss, “Everyday Nationhood,” Ethnicities 8, 4 (2008); also Tim Ederson, National Identity, Popular Culture and Everyday Life (New York: Berg, 2002). 4 Siniša Malešević, Identity as Ideology: Understanding Ethnicity and Nationalism (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006). 5 Billig, Banal Nationalism, 44. 1 would seem more likely that the identity is part of a more banal way of life in the nation- state.6 The last sentence I quoted implies that the real strength of nationalism might lie exactly in this banal and non-disputed form that takes ‘national identity’ for granted, without even contesting and wondering about its reality. It suggests that the nation-state is a both natural and normative environment. In this sense, nationalism might not be endangered as it is in times of smaller or larger (violent) ethno-national conflicts, which, in turn, makes it less likely to be harmed or lost. However, the line between “banal” and “hot” nationalism sometimes is very thin, and further empirical insights of when and how nationalism evolves into a violent action are of essential analytical importance.7 One of the examples for this kind of ‘everyday nationalism’ is a massive urban project called “Skopje 2014.” With over 130 monuments and dozens of newly erected buildings “Skopje 2014” offers to the citizens an exceptional experience, and in this way communication with nationalism on daily basis. However, the banality of the project, often interpreted through the “disneyfication” phenomenon, has been producing tensions and divisions in the society, suggesting that the line between the ‘banal’ and detrimental nationalism is not always that fine indeed. I will reflect on this issue later when discussing the project “Skopje 2014”. Before that, it is necessary to acknowledge that this urban undertaking is considered to be a part of the larger process called by the opposition and opponents as an “antiquization campaign.”8 This process attempts to prove the presumed linkage between ancient Macedonia(ns) and today’s Macedonia(ns).9 This has been carried out through invention of new traditions, introducing a new popular discourse and symbols, a shift in the historical production, re-naming streets, squares, airports and highways after ancient heroes, to culminate with the massive 6 Ibid., 46. 7 See for example the
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