Contested ethnic identity: The case of Macedonian Canadians in Toronto, 1940--1996

Abstract

This thesis attempts to contribute to a better understanding of the different ethnic identities of immigrants from the geographic region of Macedonia living in Toronto and to discern why it is that their ethnic identities very often collide with and exclude one another. The geographic region of Macedonia is defined as an area that includes the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), also known as Vardar Macedonia, Aegean Macedonia, which is a region in northwestern Greece, and Pirin Macedonia, a region in southwestern Bulgaria. The dissertation demonstrates that, due to historical and political circumstances that led to the division of the geographic region of Macedonia among three countries, the immigrants who came to Toronto from this part of the Balkan peninsula developed three very distinct ethnic identities -- Bulgarian, Macedonian and Greek -- as well as at least three different meanings of the terms 'Macedonia' and 'Macedonian.' Once in Toronto, the newcomers proclaimed their ethnic identities through their churches, ethnocultural organizations, community newspapers, and on Canadian censuses. All three communities attempted to monopolize the historical facts about Macedonia. The author concludes that the conflict among the three groups cannot be defused unless all sides admit that the other two Macedonian identities exist and, more importantly, these identities can co-exist and they do not negate one another.