Don't FYROM Me!

(Many maps were borrowed from the internet for this post.  If they need to be removed, please notify this blogger and gladly they will be removed.)

So back in October, when I was still in PST, I sent an email out to all of the UChicago alumni who were volunteers in Eastern Europe.  The alumni interview season was about to begin, and I offered to the Admissions Office to serve as the Chair for Eastern Europe, which would make me responsible for assigning interviews and coordinating the volunteers.  Within my welcome email, I included seemingly basic elements expected in such a message- an introduction of myself, mentioning that I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Macedonia, gratitude toward the alumni for their service, and an explanation of the process and available resources.

A few alumni responded, expressing interest in interviewing students in such places as Istanbul, Bucharest, and Prague.  However, I unexpectedly received an email from one alumnus that had some criticism for my welcome email.  This volunteer lived in Athens, and he was upset that I referred to the country in which I served as “the Republic of Macedonia.”  Within the email, he argued that I had erred in mentioning the country as such, and that the UN-officially recognized name for the country was the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.  He went further to explain that mentioning my country as such was incorrect as well as offensive, and that if I did not change my ways, that I would offend some students, defame our alma mater, and that he would have to report me to the UChicago alumni office.  When I finished reading that email, my first reaction was “Don’t FYROM me!”

I have dealt with enough angry UChicago alumni in my time to know that, instead of responding immediately, I should wait a few days, think it over, and craft a diplomatic response.  In some ways he was right- if I was not careful in how I mentioned the country in which I live, I could offend some prospective students.  Thus, I have since then not mentioned the name of the country in which I live, but instead mention that I live in “Prilep in the Balkans”.  Yet, many of you may wonder as I once did, why so much hubbub in a name?  Surely it cannot be that serious of an issue.  As a matter of fact, deciding on a name for the country involves facing directly years of history and conflict, thus creating a lot of trouble over a name.

Going way back

Way back to antiquity, Macedonia was a kingdom that expanded to become one of the largest empires of its time due to the conquests of Philip and his son, Alexander.  As the map below shows, Macedonia started as a smaller kingdom north of Athens and Sparta, and then eventually expanded as far east as India.  The map also shows that Ancient Macedonia covered parts of the current Republic of Macedonia, including Bitola (where you can visit the ancient site of Heraclea, founded by Philip, Alexander’s father) and probably Prilep.  However, Macedonia originally did not reach other modern cities, like Skopje or Kumanovo, until later conquests.

Ancient Macedonian Empire

In Roman times, Macedonia referred to the province that spanned from Albania at its Western border, to modern Turkey at its eastern.  It was probably during the Roman times that this territory became associated with Macedonia (see map below). 

Roman Empire

When the Roman Empire eventually split into two, with the Byzantine Empire in the East, control of this region was lost and regained as migrations of “barbarians” invaded the empire.  The most successful invasion into Macedonia was, of course, the Slavs.  As the power of the Byzantine Empire waxed and waned, other kingdoms, including the Bulgarian Empire and the Serbian Empire, were able to invade Macedonia and establish their reign.  Control over Macedonia was contested until the fall of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottomans in the 14^th century.

Slavic Invasions

Macedonia’s Current Shape

So how did the Macedonia that we know now get its current shape?  As the power of the Ottoman Empire began to fade, and as the Western empires began to grow, smaller kingdoms in the Balkans gained support to balance the power in the area.  The Balkan League was formed with the alliance of the four Christian kingdoms in the area- Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Montenegro.  The Balkan League, backed by Russia, was able to wrest from the Ottomans the Macedonian territory in the First Balkan War.  Yet while the Bulgarians were arguably the strongest force in the alliance, parts of Macedonia that they claimed were awarded to either Serbia or Greece as concessions for the creation of an independent Albania (see map below).

The Balkans after the First Balkan War
(Bulgarian claims awarded to other empires highlighted in red)

Angered by its territorial acquisitions through the Treaty of London, Bulgaria soon declared war on Serbia, starting the Second Balkan War.  Turkey, Greece, and Romania then declared war on Bulgaria, and Bulgaria was eventually defeated and signed the Treaty of Bucharest in 1913. The ancient Roman province of Macedonia was formally divided as we know it today, creating an independent Albania, granting the Republic of Macedonia to Serbia, and transferring the Bulgarian territorial holdings on the Aegean sea to Greece and parts of Thrace to Turkey. 

(For more information, see the following link: http://mentalfloss.com/article/50887/world-war-i-centennial-first-balkan-war-ends)

 Who are the Macedonians?

So there you have it- a condensed history lesson written by me.  But the question still remains- who are the Macedonians?  As history shows, the answer is not easy.  Over time, the ancient Macedonians could later refer to themselves as Romans, Byzantines, Slavic, Bulgarian, Serbian, and Ottomans.  When the Slavs migrated to the Balkans, they likely intermarried with the people living in the Byzantine Empire.  Thus, people in the Republic of Macedonia speak a Slavic language, but probably share similar features and genes to those of Ancient Macedonia. The Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires also caused Macedonia to become a major gateway between the East and the West, likely attracting people from far away places like North Africa and Spain. 

Since my time here, I have met many Macedonians who have darker skin and hair, and thus look similar to the Greeks.  I have also met Macedonians who have lighter skin and blonde hair, traits which they share with the Slavic people living in Russia and Ukraine.  The structure of the Macedonian language is most similar to Bulgarian, but 80% of the vocabulary is similar to Serbian.  So while some Macedonians today may be direct descendants of the Ancient Macedonians, others likely cannot make the same claim. 

Yet Macedonian’s accession to the EU lies within this debate- the Greeks argue that the country should be called the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and the Macedonians insist on the Republic of Macedonia.  In the Greeks’ case, the Ancient Macedonian heritage should be shared among those living in the Macedonian territories in modern Greece, Albania, and Bulgaria.  On the other hand, those in the Republic of Macedonia identify ethnically as Macedonian (not Greek, Bulgarian, or Serbian).  They speak the Macedonian language, and the republic is the only independent representative of the former Macedonian territory (besides Albania).  Most of all, this is the longest time since antiquity that a Macedonian people have enjoyed independence. 

In my opinion, after living under different empires republics for millennia, the people of the Republic of Macedonia have the right to call themselves what they wish.  Unfortunately, by claiming the name of Macedonia, other countries (especially Greece) may seem cheated of the association with the Ancient Kingdom.  However, the name “Republic of Macedonia” is more reflective of the “Macedonia” fought over in the Balkan Wars.  Despite territorial claims during the wars by Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, part of the Macedonian territory has finally gained independence in the current Republic of Macedonia.  Therefore, the people here do not need to consider themselves as Greek, Bulgarian, or Serbian Macedonians, but simply, Macedonians.  Finally, other former republics do not officially recognize themselves as “Former Yugoslav Republics (ie. the “Former Yugoslav Republic of Serbia”, the “Former Yugoslav Republic of Croatia”), so why should Macedonia? 

In the end, this is a politically sensitive topic, and I do not publically debate it here.  Ethnically, the people of the Republic of Macedonia share traits with the people across its borders that used to be part of the Greater Macedonia.  Historically, the Republic of Macedonia is significant given the conflict in the area of the past century.  Keeping both of these statements in mind, it is easier to get a sense of who the people of the Republic of Macedonia really are.