Collective Memory, National Identity, and Ethnic Conflict - by Victor Roudometof (Hardcover)

About the Book

Roudometof provides an in-depth analysis of inter-ethnic relations in the southern Balkans. He examines the evolution of the Macedonian Question and the production of rival national narratives by Greeks, Bulgarians, and Macedonians. He introduces the concept of a national narrative in order to account for the production and proliferation of different forms of collective memory among the rival nation-states. Roudometof deconstructs the national narratives of the competing sides and shows the limits of these narratives and their biases. He also develops an alternative interpretation of Macedonian national formation.

The contentious issue of Macedonian national minorities in the southern Balkans is examined as well as the issue of the Albanian movements toward self-determination and succession in Kosovo and western Macedonia. Roudometof argues that the Macedonian minority groups are not as numerous in the neighboring states as it is conventionally assumed. With regard to the Albanian national question, he provides a review of the post-1945 relations between Albania and Greece, the Albanians of Kosovo and the Serbs, and the Albanians and Macedonians. He argues that the Albanian nationalist movements have grown out of the interaction between Albanians and their neighboring nations and ethnic groups. An important resource for scholars, students, and other researchers involved with the Balkans and ethnic conflict resolution in general.

Book Synopsis

Roudometof provides an in-depth analysis of inter-ethnic relations in the southern Balkans. He examines the evolution of the Macedonian Question and the production of rival national narratives by Greeks, Bulgarians, and Macedonians. He introduces the concept of a national narrative in order to account for the production and proliferation of different forms of collective memory among the rival nation-states. Roudometof deconstructs the national narratives of the competing sides and shows the limits of these narratives and their biases. He also develops an alternative interpretation of Macedonian national formation.

The contentious issue of Macedonian national minorities in the southern Balkans is examined as well as the issue of the Albanian movements toward self-determination and succession in Kosovo and western Macedonia. Roudometof argues that the Macedonian minority groups are not as numerous in the neighboring states as it is conventionally assumed. With regard to the Albanian national question, he provides a review of the post-1945 relations between Albania and Greece, the Albanians of Kosovo and the Serbs, and the Albanians and Macedonians. He argues that the Albanian nationalist movements have grown out of the interaction between Albanians and their neighboring nations and ethnic groups. An important resource for scholars, students, and other researchers involved with the Balkans and ethnic conflict resolution in general.

Review Quotes

?[A] serviceable and wide-ranging guide to the complexities of the Macedonian question, which will appeal both to students of history and to specialists in international affairs....[a] useful and theoretically informed work of synthesis, based on a wide array of secondary sources, and supported by an excellent bibliography.?-South European Society & Politics

?[T]his volume presents a definitive examination of the Macedonian Question and constitutes a valuable addition to the growing list of case studies on the politics of national identity. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.?-Choice

"ÝA¨ serviceable and wide-ranging guide to the complexities of the Macedonian question, which will appeal both to students of history and to specialists in international affairs....Ýa¨ useful and theoretically informed work of synthesis, based on a wide array of secondary sources, and supported by an excellent bibliography."-South European Society & Politics

"ÝT¨his volume presents a definitive examination of the Macedonian Question and constitutes a valuable addition to the growing list of case studies on the politics of national identity. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above."-Choice

"[T]his volume presents a definitive examination of the Macedonian Question and constitutes a valuable addition to the growing list of case studies on the politics of national identity. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above."-Choice

"[A] serviceable and wide-ranging guide to the complexities of the Macedonian question, which will appeal both to students of history and to specialists in international affairs....[a] useful and theoretically informed work of synthesis, based on a wide array of secondary sources, and supported by an excellent bibliography."-South European Society & Politics

About the Author

VICTOR ROUDOMETOF is Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, Gerontology and Anthropology at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Among his earlier publications is Nationalism, Globalization and Orthodoxy (Greenwood, 2001).