Makedonskt motstånd mot bulgariska krav: En kvalitativ innehållsanalys av hur motstånd framställs och förändras i politiska uttalanden under Nordmakedoniens EU-medlemskapsprocess

Abstract

This study focuses on examining how Macedonian resistance to Bulgarian demands has been represented and changed in North Macedonia during its EU integration process. The study is conducted through a qualitative content analysis where political statements from previous and current prime ministers are analysed, more specifically during the period from 2020 until today. The qualitative content analysis is used to categorize different representations of resistance and to identify themes that appear in the political prime minister's statements. The three themes found based on the analysis are: resistance by protecting the national Macedonian identity and language, resistance through diplomacy and confrontation and resistance through constitutional revision. Using Foucault's theory of power as resistance I argue for how resistance can be presented through different discursive practices all of which establish different knowledge that legitimizes the prime minister's resistance to the Bulgarian demands. The results show that resistance was articulated diplomatically until 2024, whereas today it is represented in a confrontational manner. The results also show different resistance strategies when it comes to the theme of national identity and constitutional revision. Furthermore, the study shows that these various resistance strategies have affected the development of North Macedonia´s path to the EU, with more progress made before 2024 than today.