CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2024
| Author | Merkov, Robert J |
|---|---|
| Title | What it Meant to be a Macedonian (1903-1967): An Examination Into the Development of the Macedonian Diaspora in the United States and Canada |
| Summary | This thesis aims to explore the transformative process of the Macedonian diaspora from 1903 to 1967. The goal of this research is to provide evidence for a Macedonian national consciousness within the Macedonian migrant community in North America. The status quo on this discourse regarding the individuals who migrated from the Macedonian region is that they were ethnically Bulgarian or Macedonian-Bulgarian, who only began to identify as Macedonians once the Socialist Republic of Macedonia was created in 1945. The primary question that I aim to answer is whether or not there is legitimate evidence for a Macedonian national consciousness prior to 1945. I argue that there is evidence of a national consciousness, and it can be seen abroad in the United States and Canada during the early 20th century. I plan to defend my argument by taking a historical sociological approach on this discourse. Specifically, I will utilize the concept of social mobility to help support my argument. In addition, I argue that in the early 20th century, Macedonian immigrants within the United States mobilized into a diaspora. Beginning with the migration of individuals from the Macedonian region to the U.S. in the early 20th century, the Macedonians began to mobilize into a diaspora with the idea that they were a distinct group of people that deserved their own autonomous nation. When the Macedonian Orthodox Church declared autocephaly in 1967, only then did Macedonians abroad develop into a diaspora, and the Macedonian national consciousness legitimized into a national identity. |
| Supervisor | Tokic, Mate Nikola; Mjic,Ana |
| Department | History MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2024/merkov_robert.pdf |
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