Macedonia : Social, Political and Economic Issues

Macedonia is a small, landlocked Balkan country that bears the heavy weight of being a crossroad between the West and the East, ultimately becoming a melting pot with fragile national identity; a nascent and, at times breakable, democracy; and brittle political and economic systems, diversity of cultures and ethnicities.This book is about the place of Macedonian identity within the globalized world; it is about the weakened Macedonian political culture, often times influenced by ethnic identity; it is about telling the story of the Ottoman influence and cultural heritage; it is about basic human rights, such as abortion rights and their limits by law and tradition in Macedonian society; and it is about the "e;modern kitsch"e; brought about by the ruling elites, who erect statues of modern warriors and try to recreate the past identity of the nation.This book begins with an essay on the Republic of Macedonia and its recognition in the international community (1991-2015), written by Dr. Ivanka Dodovska and Jana Ilieva. It then continues with a chapter on how the changes in society bring about changes in the personality by Dr. Marijana Markovik and Dr. Eleonora Serafimovska. Dr. Ivo Slaus writes about the two simultaneous challenges faced by Macedonia in the globalized world. Dr. Maria Pandevska illuminates the cultural history in "e;Borders and Boundaries of an Urban Space: Kurshumli - Han in Ueskup/Skopje"e;. Dr. Vesna Stankovic Pejnovic gives a critical analysis of Macedonia's identity crisis. Dr. Dragica Popovska focuses on the discursive forms of memory and on the visual forms of memory manifested in the public sphere, through "e;publicly available symbols"e;. Dr. Vera Dimitrievska presents the results of a qualitative study of professionalism on abortion and contraceptive practices among healthcare professionals in Macedonia. Dr. Tijana Peric Diligenski writes about the anti-corruption paradigm in Macedonia in light of the European Union accession process. Dr. Emilija Stoimenova Canevska gives an overview of the latest developments in psychology and psychotherapy in Macedonia, and links them to the overall social development of the country. Last, but not least, Dr. Goran Basic writes a provocative chapter called "e;Macedonia - An Unfinished State"e;.