Politicizing Culture: Negating Ethnic Identity in Greek Macedonia

Abstract

Nation-building directly affects ethnic identity as it transforms the peoples of a region into the people of a nation-state. Since the incorporation of Macedonia into the expanding Greek state in 1913, Greek authorities have attempted to wrest control of enculturation away from the private domain of the family and to place it under the control of state institutions. In the process, Slavic speakers of the area have found themselves forbidden to use their Slavic language or to engage in songs, dances, and other public cultural activities. Some have resisted, protesting that such restrictions destroy their distinct local culture. This paper investigates such charges, examining Slavo-Macedonian claims to a distinct ethnic heritage and minority status, as well as reactions and counter-claims by Greek authorities to such assertions. I argue that the politicization of culture in Greek Macedonia has directly contributed to the denial of ethnic identity among Slavic speaking inhabitants there.