The Ohrid Festival and Political Performativity in the Contemporary Republic of Macedonia

This paper identifies art festivals and heritage venues as central pillars in contemporary politics in the Republic of Macedonia. While focusing on the venues used during the Ohrid Summer Festival, my analysis expands on the wider performative aspect of politics shaped by the 2001 conflict with the Albanian insurgents and the conflict with Greece around the name Macedonia that has additionally added performative elements of pronounced emphasis on Christianity and antiquity. These political performative practices reveal the critical role that the country's pending accession to the EU has had on the ideological struggles within and outside the country, and the centrality of high culture in the conduct of ethno-national and international politics.