The Chimera of Colorful Revolution in Macedonia: Collective Action in the European Periphery
Journal
Balkanologie. Revue d'études pluridisciplinaires
Date Issued
2020
Author(s)
DOI
10.4000/balkanologie.2583
Abstract
Macedonia, as a hardly known part of ex-Yugoslavia at the European periphery, has
rarely made Western headlines except for the security problems too often associated
with the region and the country’s bizarre “name issue.”1 Yet for a brief moment in
2014-2016, it seemed as if a sudden upsurge of social movements and popular protests
would put it on the world map of countries experiencing collective actions and calls for
radical social change. Many saw this upsurge as an encouraging development in a
country burdened by democratic deficit and a hybrid illiberal regime, hoping that it
could be part of a “Balkan Spring” (with similar events occurring in Croatia and Bosnia-
Herzegovina).2 The developments became especially widely known because of the final
act of the performance – the so-called Colorful Revolution (CR) of 2016 – when
protesters used paintballs of diverse colors to shoot official buildings and monuments.
However, the collective action stopped abruptly in mid-2016, as societal energy dried
up like rain water in a desert.This study sheds light on the reasons for and the context of the sudden surge and
deflation of popular mobilization, as well as the general effects of the events as seen
from the distance of five years’ time. The text structure is determined by the
predominantly socio-historical approach of the analysis: the first part sketches the
historical context with special emphasis on the way Macedonia has been governed –
both internally and externally – since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991. Its aim is to
present the main features of the political and institutional landscape before the phase
of collective actions began in 2014. The second part focuses on the specific grassroots
movement in which multiple plenums formed (plenumization), while the third part questions the very nature of the Colorful Revolution, its end and its after-effects. The
conclusion summarizes what the study reveals about collective action.
rarely made Western headlines except for the security problems too often associated
with the region and the country’s bizarre “name issue.”1 Yet for a brief moment in
2014-2016, it seemed as if a sudden upsurge of social movements and popular protests
would put it on the world map of countries experiencing collective actions and calls for
radical social change. Many saw this upsurge as an encouraging development in a
country burdened by democratic deficit and a hybrid illiberal regime, hoping that it
could be part of a “Balkan Spring” (with similar events occurring in Croatia and Bosnia-
Herzegovina).2 The developments became especially widely known because of the final
act of the performance – the so-called Colorful Revolution (CR) of 2016 – when
protesters used paintballs of diverse colors to shoot official buildings and monuments.
However, the collective action stopped abruptly in mid-2016, as societal energy dried
up like rain water in a desert.This study sheds light on the reasons for and the context of the sudden surge and
deflation of popular mobilization, as well as the general effects of the events as seen
from the distance of five years’ time. The text structure is determined by the
predominantly socio-historical approach of the analysis: the first part sketches the
historical context with special emphasis on the way Macedonia has been governed –
both internally and externally – since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991. Its aim is to
present the main features of the political and institutional landscape before the phase
of collective actions began in 2014. The second part focuses on the specific grassroots
movement in which multiple plenums formed (plenumization), while the third part questions the very nature of the Colorful Revolution, its end and its after-effects. The
conclusion summarizes what the study reveals about collective action.
Subjects
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Loading...
Name
balkanologie-article.pdf
Description
The Chimera of Colorful Revolution in Macedonia: Collective Action in the European Periphery
Size
453.08 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum
(MD5):15edea9a93b6763aa0420b4f1928c0c8