Ethnic Minorities of Macedonia: Turks, Roma, and Serbs

Abstract

The Republic of Macedonia is a multiethnic society. Apart from the ethnic Albanians who make up over 20% of the population, other ethnic minorities also combine to constitute from 10% to 13% of the population. In this chapter, I will focus on three of these ethnic minorities — the Turks, the Roma, and the Serbs — and analyze their recent histories and current concerns. I will also discuss smaller ethnic minorities including Bosniaks, Vlachs, and Torbesh. No minorities exist in isolation; they must be understood in the context of the larger society and often in relation to particular other groups. Further, all these ethnic groups have been affected by the Ohrid Framework Agreement and the subsequent amendments to the constitution, although none were signatories and they had no influence on the proceedings.