The Republic of Macedonia gained independence in 1991 but historically has had its
identity, territory, culture, and people continually contested. A European Union (EU)
candidate country since 2005, Macedonia continues to proceed towards membership,
fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria and the acquis communitaire. While most of the
literature on Macedonia centres on the name dispute with Greece, which remains a key
barrier to the country’s EU accession, identity politics are an under-researched topic in
Macedonia’s road to accession. This thesis uses identity politics as a theoretical
foundation to focus on Macedonian-Albanian relations in the context of EU accession.
Management of identity politics in Macedonia can play a role in stabilizing or
destabilizing the country, which may affect Macedonia’s accession process. The research
sheds further light on identity politics in the Balkans, providing an archetype for
analyzing contemporary ethnic relations.