The Chimera of Colorful Revolution in Macedonia: Collective Action in the European Periphery

This article analyzes the social movements that took place between 2014 and 2016 in Macedonia. These events got widely known because of the 2016 final performance: the so-called Colorful Revolution. However, their background, the main internal and international actors involved and their after-effects remain subject to highly conflicting and underexplored explanations. The main hypothesis of this article is that, in spite of its apparent authenticity as a grassroots social movement, the Colorful Revolution was closer to what has been called a “template revolution” or “colored revolution” and has already been seen in other parts of the world. This study draws mostly on primary sources associated with the personal involvement of the author in the protests. It aims to contribute to a better understanding of events which still polarize political and public discourse as well as social praxis in the country.