Gendered heritage in the material culture of post-socialist Skopje

By looking at the depiction of women in the semiotics of two different heritage landscapes in Skopje, my aim in this article is to show how the symbolic power of heritage can navigate and reflect actual political tendencies and ruling styles. The main question that I wish to address is: How are gender roles represented and performed in the heritage practice of present-day North Macedonia as opposed to Yugoslav times and how does gendered heritage contribute to strengthening young nationalisms? The discussion shows that the symbolic representation of women in the public space not only reflects the political and social agenda of the establishment but also has an ethical and disciplinary role in shaping identities. moreover, the symbolic masculinisation of the public space in Sko014 reflects the actual ‘backlash’ of gender equality that took place in all spheres of life during the time the VMRO DPMNE (The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity) was in power.