“We Are All In Macedonia Born Polyglots”: Multilingual Awakeners and Supranational Patriots In Late Ottoman Macedonia (From the Mid-Nineteenth Century to the Balkan Wars)

The article explores the relationship between multilingualism and nationalism in late Ottoman Macedonia. Focusing on the Slavic-speaking population, the study shows how Macedonian intellectuals developed a “two-tier nationhood,” combining Bulgarian nationalism with emerging forms of Macedonian political consciousness. The Macedonian liberation movement attempted to mobilize the regional ethnolinguistic diversity and promoted a supranational political project that was radicalized within the programs of the local leftist movements. However, the Macedonian activists largely failed to address adequately the complexities of linguistic plurality. In response, some activists advanced a distinct ethnonational project centered on Macedonian language standardization. The article concludes that Macedonian identity formation followed a non-linear path, challenging conventional models of nation-building and highlighting the importance of multilingualism in shaping modern Balkan identities.