‘We Were Here First!’: Autochthonism, Territorialization of Heritage, and the Pursuit of Ontological Security in Macedonia

The article explores how the constitutional changes introduced with the Ohrid Framework Agreement that altered the Macedonian character of the State, came to be widely perceived by many ethnic Macedonians as the source of ontological insecurity. Introducing the concept of ontological security requirements, the article also shows how and why the ‘Macedonian’ character of the State became ethnic Macedonians’ primary ontological security requirement. It further demonstrates that the idea of autochthonism emerged as the State’s strategy in the pursuit of ontological security and has been the driving force behind the numerous State-sponsored cultural interventions in the Macedonian public space, culminating in the ‘Skopje 2014 project’, aimed at visually and materially conveying the autobiographical narrative of autochthonism. To further develop this argument, the article also introduces the concept of ‘territorialization of heritage’, which together with autochthonism became the strategy for reasserting ownership of the State and for addressing the ontological anxiety.