This article gives a brief overview of comparative research in North Macedonia on the perception and reception of other Slavic literatures and cultures. It shows the gradual transformation from data collection and traditional comparative research on influences and literary reception to the various types of cultural studies. Special attention is given to analyses of imagology, which show the ambiguity of Macedonian culture toward Slavic studies. In this context, the article addresses certain controversies concerning the Slavic intercultural community, especially the syndrome of “neighboring Slavic countries” as manifested in the relation between Macedonian and Bulgarian culture.
