From Bucharest 1913 to Bucharest 2008: The Image of the Balkan Wars in Macedonian Historiography and Public Discourse

This chapter deals with the complex image of the Balkan Wars in Macedonian society. It examines the historiographic production of the wars in the Yugoslav and post-Yugoslav context as well as the public discourse of the last decade. The Balkan Wars, interpreted through an ethnocentric prism, play an important role in shaping Macedonian national identity and public discourses. The narrative of the Balkan Wars is one of victimhood embodied in the intentions of the neighbors and the Great Powers to prevent Macedonian independence. From this perspective, no other event is considered as more tragic than the partition of Macedonia in 1913, in Bucharest; the last two terms have become symbols of cyclical national tragedy.