Accession and association: The effects of European integration and neoliberalism on rising inequality and kin‐neighbor reciprocity in the Republic of Macedonia

Abstract

AbstractSince the dissolution of socialist Yugoslavia more than twenty years ago, there has been a monumental shift in economic policy and governance in the Republic of Macedonia. Though political rhetoric claims that markets are regulated by the state, the implementation of neoliberal policies has resulted in private interests taking control of industries that were formerly socially owned and managed. This process has led to significant inequality in the country, from disparities in wealth and opportunities to unemployment and poverty. In its largest wine region, Tikveš, one finds evidence of the crossroads where habits of global consumption meet rural kinship structures in a unique geographical and political setting. As the country is seeking greater integration with the Euro–American alliance, the Macedonian case enables us to think about reciprocity and hospitality in terms of external, global impositions. However, it also shows resilience to such forces, where cultural traditions and customs (such as hospitality and reciprocity) not only remain but have been strengthened.