Macedonian Encyclopedia

The Macedonian Encyclopedia is known as the first scientific encyclopedia of North Macedonia. It was published by the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts. The encyclopedia was edited by the Lexicographical Center, where 260 associates were involved in its preparation under the guidance of chief editor Blaze Ristovski. The project was financially supported by the government of the Republic of Macedonia. The encyclopedia was printed in 2,000 copies, of which 300 copies were sold or given away. The remaining 1,700 copies have been withdrawn from sale. The Encyclopedia was reportedly circulated around the internet, initially maintaining secrecy, and can now be downloaded for free.[1]

Macedonian Encyclopedia
CountryNorth Macedonia
LanguageMacedonian
Genreencyclopedia
PublisherMacedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Publication date
September 2009

The Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts had planned for an expanded edition covering areas not addressed in the two-volume set, which would be translated into English.

Content

The encyclopedia has about 9,000 entries representing the Macedonian point of view from antiquity to the new millennium. The content of the Macedonian Encyclopedia can be found in the digital version on https://macedonism.org.

Promotion

At the launch of the encyclopedia, George Stardelov, president of the academy, stated: "This is the first Macedonian encyclopedia free of foreign deposits and historical interpretations resulting from the principle of multiculturalism instead of ethnocentrism. It's not just an encyclopedia of the Macedonian people, but the Macedonian state."

Although the project may not display the whole life and development of Macedonia, this work authentically presents a view of Macedonian culture, its national political past and present, and it aspires to become an objective source of integral information about Macedonia and its people. Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski is convinced that this objectivistic approach and scientific argument will contribute an "authoritative presentation of Macedonia's centuries-old survival of this classic Balkan ethno-cultural space and truth to us in the past."[2]

Controversy

The issuance of the encyclopaedia caused a storm of protest in terms of its content, and its authors have been subjected to severe criticism.

  • United States Ambassador to Macedonia Philip Reeker in an interview with Radio Free Europe said it was good that Gruevski and opposition leader Ali Ahmeti sat down together after the publication of the Encyclopedia. "It is important that Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and DUI leader Ali Ahmeti together sat down to end the cycle of insults and threats that aim to break the positive direction in which Macedonia moves. For me it is clear that the vast majority of citizens of this country for a peaceful and prosperous future in Europe as part of the Euro-Atlantic family, as part of the European Union and NATO. And we cannot allow individuals who may have their own agenda to distort this. I think that the leaders of this country demonstrate that."
  • Menduh Thaci, president of the Democratic Party of Albanians, announced the establishment of a parallel Academy of Albanians in Macedonia that will prepare an encyclopedia of Albanians in Macedonia. Furthermore, the party called on Albanians in the Academy Aljadin Abazi, Luan Starova and Ali Aliu.
  • New Democracy asked Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski to refrain from writing in the encyclopedia.
  • The first Macedonian encyclopedia threatens the constitutional multi-ethnic character of Macedonia, promotes inter-ethnic hatred, and falsifies the history of the Albanian people. It insults the feelings of every Albanian, harms the relations with our American and British friends and the entire civilized world. We ask MANU to soon withdraw the scandalous encyclopaedia, engage Albanian experts in the preparation of the history of Albanians in Macedonia, publicly apologized to the Albanian American and the British people, and to condemn the views of Blaze Ristovski. Otherwise, we will consider these views are shared by the MANU. The same demand is made of the government, which is a supporter of this project. He said Limani Obadiah, a representative of the civil movement "Wake Up."

Announcement of a new publication

After the withdrawal of this edition of the Macedonian Encyclopedia, the MANU announced a new edition of the encyclopedia, with editor Mitko Madzunkov, who emphasized the necessity to make a new expanded edition adding that the old one is completed, but has many material and factual errors in terms of its representation of Albanians in the Macedonian culture at large, recalling that he had received an order from Parliament to make a second expanded edition. Thus, as he said in his interview for Nova Makedonija, the first issue is to toss out or recycle and change more milestones.[3]

References
  1. promacedonia.com, Македонска Енциклопедија, две податотеки во pdf формат, со големина од 31.9 и 37.5 Mb.
  2. Government of Macedonia, Promotion "Macedonian Encyclopedia" MANU '. Retrieved on August 28, 2010.
  3. Нова Македонија Archived 2012-09-05 at Archive.today, Да не се брза со Македонската енциклопедија, интервју со академик Митко Маџунков. Пребарано на 28 август 2010 година.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.