NEW GREEK NATIONALISM

The creation of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia after the di smantling of the Yugoslav federation has led to a revival of Greek nat ionalism. Greece has refused to recognize the new state as the 'Republ ic of Macedonia', sustaining that its name and national symbols form p art of Greek culture and identity and are, therefore, unacceptable. Th e aim of this study is to highlight the Greek claims of 'property' ove r certain cultural traditions and, more specifically, the relationship between these claims and the ethno-cultural character of Greek nation al identity. Moreover, the paper examines the strategic manipulation o f nationalist feelings by Greek politicians. The role of political and cultural myths in (re) defining national identity and in drawing the boundaries, symbolic and territorial, between 'us' and the 'others' is investigated. The problems that may arise from such an ethnic concept ion of the nation-state are discussed and a 'constitutional model of p atriotism' is proposed as an alternative solution.