Macedonian Salad: Managing Virtual Reality among the Imaging of the Nation-State, Dreaming Multiculturalism and Developing Bi-Cultural Policies
Macedonian Salad: Managing Virtual Reality among the Imaging of the Nation-State, Dreaming Multiculturalism and Developing Bi-Cultural Policies

Author(s): Rubin Zemon
Subject(s): Politics, Sociology, Inter-Ethnic Relations, Ethnic Minorities Studies, Politics and Identity
Published by: Институт друштвених наука
Keywords: Macedonia; multiculturalism; communities; divided society
Summary/Abstract: Although the statements by politicians in Macedonia, especially those intended for international public, are dominated by the declaration that Macedonia is a multicultural society and country, many an item related to the Macedonian multicultural model remains obscure, incomplete and dysfunctional in the context of state policy and strategy. Several debates, forums, and discussions on multiculturalism in the non-governmental sector and the media, apart from establishing some fundamental knowledge, also introduced confusion when it comes to multiculturalism, while also failing to usher in a more comprehensive treatment and purposeful application of multiculturalism as a social model. Despite of the rich tradition of Macedonia as a diverse and tolerant society, the political and cultural elites perceive multiculturalism as a ‘necessary evil’, rather than the basis for equity which would shape the country’s future within the globalization flows and present global trends. Lately, and especially after the conflict in 2001, intellectuals and other public actors increasingly voice the opinion that, under the guise of multiculturalism, Macedonia in fact develops into a society which is bi-ethnic, bi-cultural, as well as bi-polar.

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