Chapter 8. Ilinden
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Marko Soldić
Abstract
In the period of transition since independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, Macedonian national identity has been highly contested. The discourse (r)evolving around the commemoration of the Macedonian national day, Ilinden, may be viewed as an arena where such challenges are addressed. By analyzing excerpts from the print media, this chapter aspires to show how challenges facing the Macedonian community and their identity are interpreted, and how solutions to them are negotiated through constructions of continuity between past, present, and future in the Ilinden discourse. The focus will be on periods during which potential disruptions of the continuity of the national identity have been especially strong. The notion of continuity with the Ilinden past has rendered understandable and acceptable the massive social, economic, and political changes that the Macedonian community has undergone. Although this Ilinden matrix appears to be fixed, primarily its resilience and flexibility have ensured its continuing importance.
Abstract
In the period of transition since independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, Macedonian national identity has been highly contested. The discourse (r)evolving around the commemoration of the Macedonian national day, Ilinden, may be viewed as an arena where such challenges are addressed. By analyzing excerpts from the print media, this chapter aspires to show how challenges facing the Macedonian community and their identity are interpreted, and how solutions to them are negotiated through constructions of continuity between past, present, and future in the Ilinden discourse. The focus will be on periods during which potential disruptions of the continuity of the national identity have been especially strong. The notion of continuity with the Ilinden past has rendered understandable and acceptable the massive social, economic, and political changes that the Macedonian community has undergone. Although this Ilinden matrix appears to be fixed, primarily its resilience and flexibility have ensured its continuing importance.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors vii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Preface 1
- Discursive construction of national holidays in West and South Slavic countries after the fall of communism 5
-
Analyses
- Chapter 1. Collective memory and media genres 35
- Chapter 2. The quest for a proper Bulgarian national holiday 57
- Chapter 3. The multiple symbolism of 3 May in Poland after the fall of communism 81
- Chapter 4. “Dan skuplji vijeka,” ‘A day more precious than a century’ 101
- Chapter 5. Croatia in search of a national day 125
- Chapter 6. Contested pasts, contested red-letter days 149
- Chapter 7. Commemorating the Warsaw Uprising of 1 August 1944 171
- Chapter 8. Ilinden 191
- Chapter 9. Slovak national identity as articulated in the homilies of a religious holiday 213
- Chapter 10. The Czech and Czechoslovak 28 October 231
- Chapter 11. Disputes over national holidays 251
- Chapter 12. What Europe means for Poland 271
- References 297
- Appendix A. List of current laws on national holidays in West and South Slavic countries 311
- Index 313
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors vii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Preface 1
- Discursive construction of national holidays in West and South Slavic countries after the fall of communism 5
-
Analyses
- Chapter 1. Collective memory and media genres 35
- Chapter 2. The quest for a proper Bulgarian national holiday 57
- Chapter 3. The multiple symbolism of 3 May in Poland after the fall of communism 81
- Chapter 4. “Dan skuplji vijeka,” ‘A day more precious than a century’ 101
- Chapter 5. Croatia in search of a national day 125
- Chapter 6. Contested pasts, contested red-letter days 149
- Chapter 7. Commemorating the Warsaw Uprising of 1 August 1944 171
- Chapter 8. Ilinden 191
- Chapter 9. Slovak national identity as articulated in the homilies of a religious holiday 213
- Chapter 10. The Czech and Czechoslovak 28 October 231
- Chapter 11. Disputes over national holidays 251
- Chapter 12. What Europe means for Poland 271
- References 297
- Appendix A. List of current laws on national holidays in West and South Slavic countries 311
- Index 313
