Papers by Vemund Aarbakke
Challenges and Barriers to the European Union Expansion to the Balkan Region
This chapter intends to outline the place of Macedonia in the nation-building process that took p... more This chapter intends to outline the place of Macedonia in the nation-building process that took place in South-East Europe with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. Macedonia became the place where national aspirations converged and came into conflict with each other. This gave it a special role in the national narratives of Bulgaria, Serbia, and Greece both internally and in foreign politics. The (federal) Macedonian state that emerged after WWII sought to carve out its own trajectory in a space that was already occupied physically and ideologically by its neighbours. This led to a conflict that lurked under the surface for most of the Cold War but came out in the open with the dissolution of Yugoslavia. The chapter seeks to clarify some of the central issues related to Macedonian nationality and minorities in the Balkan and European context.
PrefacePlacename VariantsPart I: Basic Structures and Preconditions IntroductionGeographical Exte... more PrefacePlacename VariantsPart I: Basic Structures and Preconditions IntroductionGeographical Extent of MacedoniaDemographic Distribution and Demographic Changes1. Bulgarian Figures2. Greek Figures3. Ottoman Figures4. Ethnic BordersAgricultural StructuresEconomic Decline and Foreign InterferenceThe Millet System1. The Transformation of the Christian Millets. National AwakeningPart II: Early Developments The Bulgarian Renaissance and Early School Policy1. The Case of Veles2. ConclusionsThe Establishment of the Exarchate1. The Bulgarian Struggle to Extend their Influence2. Developments in Veles After the Establishment of the Exarchate3. The Patriarchate's PolicyPart III: Wars and Unrest The Russo-Ottoman War - The Peace TreatiesLocal Insurrections1. The Greeks2. Bulgarian-Macedonian3. Interpreting the Kresna Uprising4. The Albanian Movement5. Further Actions by Armed BandsPart IV: The Struggle for Influence The Orientation of the Various Groups After the Treaty of Berlin1. Emigrati...
Politics of Muslim Minority in Greek Thrace with emphasis on the period 1974-1996
“Pomak Language Usage and the Spell of Nationalism—The Case of the Pomaks in Greece,” Slavia Isla... more “Pomak Language Usage and the Spell of Nationalism—The Case of the Pomaks in Greece,” Slavia Islamica : language, religion and identity, edited by Robert D. Greenberg, Motoki Nomachi, Slavic Eurasian studies ; no. 25, Slavic Research Center, Hokkaido University, pp. 149-177. (http://src-h.slav.hokudai.ac.jp/coe21/publish/no25_ses/contents.html)
‘The report of Petar Chaulev to Prime Minister Vasil Radoslavov about the situation in Western Th... more ‘The report of Petar Chaulev to Prime Minister Vasil Radoslavov about the situation in Western Thrace in February 1914’, Balkan Studies, 49, 47-68. http://www.imxa.gr/bsfiles/49/Aarbakke.pdf
English manuscript that was translated to German for:
‘Die Region Makedonien’ Oliver Jens Schmit... more English manuscript that was translated to German for:
‘Die Region Makedonien’ Oliver Jens Schmitt – Michael Metzeltin (Hg.), Das Südosteuropa der Regionen, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien. pp. 603-639
‘Die Region Makedonien’ Oliver Jens Schmitt – Michael Metzeltin (Hg.), Das Südosteuropa der Regio... more ‘Die Region Makedonien’ Oliver Jens Schmitt – Michael Metzeltin (Hg.), Das Südosteuropa der Regionen, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien. pp. 603-639
Drafts by Vemund Aarbakke
It is almost identical to the published and it is searchable
Talks by Vemund Aarbakke
In the aftermath of the Balkan Wars and World War I, today’s region of Greek Thrace – also known ... more In the aftermath of the Balkan Wars and World War I, today’s region of Greek Thrace – also known as Western Thrace found itself in the midst of local antagonisms and nationalisms. The fate of the region was one of the most complex issues the Allies had to resolve. With its proximity to Istanbul, it had a mixed population and was claimed by Bulgaria, Greece and the Ottoman Empire, which had fought over it during the Balkan Wars. Hence, until the Allies reached a decision on the fate of the region, a provisional Allied administration was established under the auspices of the French Army, known as the ‘Thrace Interalliée’ regime (October 1919-May 1920), which then handed over the administration of the area to Greece, something that was officially decreed with the Lausanne treaty (24 July 1923).
During the period 1912-1923 the Muslim population of Western Thrace witnessed dramatic changes to its status, from being a dominant community to becoming a minority group. The ‘minoritization’ of the previously dominant Muslim population had already begun since 1913, when, as a result of the Balkan Wars, Western Thrace was ceded to Bulgaria. The minority was to face further challenges and shocks, with the consolidation of the Kemalist regime in Turkey, as Mustafa Kemal proceeded with a series of secular reforms that were unprecedented for a Muslim country. In Western Thrace, the ascendance of Kemalism met a rather skeptical audience as the Muslim population exhibited an overwhelmingly Islamic outlook. The minority was eventually divided between two camps: the Kemalists, who followed Kemalism and the new Turkish nationalism and the conservatives, who adhered to the traditional Islamic customs and way of life. Soon, the clash between the two camps spread over all aspects of the minority’s political and social life.
The early history of the Muslims of Western Thrace has not attracted much academic interest. Significant gaps remain in our understanding of the historical, social and political context, which shaped the position of the Thracian Muslims, during the formative period of the 1920s. The present paper will try to fill those gaps by examining the internal response of the minority, the impact of Kemalism on its internal power structure, and the parallel development of its relations with the Greek authorities.
Place: Department of Political Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki.
Date: 21 March 2015.
Organization: Modernity battling tradition: the introduction of Kemalism to the Muslim minority of Western Thrace, 1920-1930
Reports by Vemund Aarbakke
By gathering 35 local scholars, experts, and civil society activists specialized in racism and hu... more By gathering 35 local scholars, experts, and civil society activists specialized in racism and human rights, the fifth edition of the European Islamophobia Report addresses a still timely and politically important issue. All 32 country reports included in this book follow a unique structure that is convenient, first, for comparing countries and, second, for selected readings on a particular topic such as politics, employment, or education with regard to Islamophobia across Europe. The present report investigates in detail the underlying dynamics that directly or indirectly support the rise of anti-Muslim racism in Europe. This extends from Islamophobic statements spread in national media to laws and policies that restrain the fundamental rights of European Muslim citizens and threaten the whole of society. As a result, the European Islamophobia Report 2019 discusses the impact of anti-Muslim racism on human rights, multiculturalism, and the state of law in Europe. This fifth edition of our report highlights how European societies are progressively overwhelmed by the Islamophobic discourse of the “Great Replacement” and other far-right conspiracy theories. The 32 country reports demonstrate how governments and mainstream media participate in reproducing such discourses that put the fundamental rights of millions of European citizens in jeopardy and how one can counteract these developments. This compendium of useful insights and data aims to provide European policy-makers, institutions, and NGOs with recommendations on how to tackle anti-Muslim racism in Europe seriously.
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Papers by Vemund Aarbakke
‘Die Region Makedonien’ Oliver Jens Schmitt – Michael Metzeltin (Hg.), Das Südosteuropa der Regionen, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien. pp. 603-639
Drafts by Vemund Aarbakke
Talks by Vemund Aarbakke
During the period 1912-1923 the Muslim population of Western Thrace witnessed dramatic changes to its status, from being a dominant community to becoming a minority group. The ‘minoritization’ of the previously dominant Muslim population had already begun since 1913, when, as a result of the Balkan Wars, Western Thrace was ceded to Bulgaria. The minority was to face further challenges and shocks, with the consolidation of the Kemalist regime in Turkey, as Mustafa Kemal proceeded with a series of secular reforms that were unprecedented for a Muslim country. In Western Thrace, the ascendance of Kemalism met a rather skeptical audience as the Muslim population exhibited an overwhelmingly Islamic outlook. The minority was eventually divided between two camps: the Kemalists, who followed Kemalism and the new Turkish nationalism and the conservatives, who adhered to the traditional Islamic customs and way of life. Soon, the clash between the two camps spread over all aspects of the minority’s political and social life.
The early history of the Muslims of Western Thrace has not attracted much academic interest. Significant gaps remain in our understanding of the historical, social and political context, which shaped the position of the Thracian Muslims, during the formative period of the 1920s. The present paper will try to fill those gaps by examining the internal response of the minority, the impact of Kemalism on its internal power structure, and the parallel development of its relations with the Greek authorities.
Place: Department of Political Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki.
Date: 21 March 2015.
Organization: Modernity battling tradition: the introduction of Kemalism to the Muslim minority of Western Thrace, 1920-1930
Reports by Vemund Aarbakke
‘Die Region Makedonien’ Oliver Jens Schmitt – Michael Metzeltin (Hg.), Das Südosteuropa der Regionen, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien. pp. 603-639
During the period 1912-1923 the Muslim population of Western Thrace witnessed dramatic changes to its status, from being a dominant community to becoming a minority group. The ‘minoritization’ of the previously dominant Muslim population had already begun since 1913, when, as a result of the Balkan Wars, Western Thrace was ceded to Bulgaria. The minority was to face further challenges and shocks, with the consolidation of the Kemalist regime in Turkey, as Mustafa Kemal proceeded with a series of secular reforms that were unprecedented for a Muslim country. In Western Thrace, the ascendance of Kemalism met a rather skeptical audience as the Muslim population exhibited an overwhelmingly Islamic outlook. The minority was eventually divided between two camps: the Kemalists, who followed Kemalism and the new Turkish nationalism and the conservatives, who adhered to the traditional Islamic customs and way of life. Soon, the clash between the two camps spread over all aspects of the minority’s political and social life.
The early history of the Muslims of Western Thrace has not attracted much academic interest. Significant gaps remain in our understanding of the historical, social and political context, which shaped the position of the Thracian Muslims, during the formative period of the 1920s. The present paper will try to fill those gaps by examining the internal response of the minority, the impact of Kemalism on its internal power structure, and the parallel development of its relations with the Greek authorities.
Place: Department of Political Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki.
Date: 21 March 2015.
Organization: Modernity battling tradition: the introduction of Kemalism to the Muslim minority of Western Thrace, 1920-1930