Who are the Macedonians? book review by Alexandros Kosmas Kyrou

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  • TrueMacedonian
    Senior Member
    • Jan 2009
    • 3810

    Who are the Macedonians? book review by Alexandros Kosmas Kyrou



    Kyrou, Alexandros Kosmas, 1958-
    Who Are the Macedonians? (review)

    Journal of Modern Greek Studies - Volume 14, Number 2, October 1996, pp. 362-365

    Hugh Poulton - Book Review: Who Are the Macedonians? - Journal of Modern Greek Studies 14:2 Journal of Modern Greek Studies 14.2 (1996) 362-365 Book Review Who Are the Macedonians? Hugh Poulton, Who Are the Macedonians? Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. 1995. Pp. xvii + 218. $29.95 cloth.

    Hugh Poulton does more to obfuscate than to answer the question posed in the title of his book. This brief tome attempts to merge history, ethnography, religion, economics, and state relations into a comprehensive study of Macedonia from antiquity to the present. The task of macrohistory is no easy one, and the result of Poulton's effort is disappointing. The book's nominal strengths justify all the effort, while its faults insure intense frustration and continued ignorance. Poulton may have much to teach the reader, but he so often misinforms that one soon doubts any net gain. Establishing the general pattern for the remainder of the book, the author shapes his review of ancient Macedonia around a fatuous historical presupposition. Specifically, Poulton's assertion that the ancient inhabitants of Macedonia were not Greeks might be treated seriously if it were supported by more than one outdated source and comically inventive observations such as: "The inhabitants of Macedonia at this time were of sturdier build than the southern Greeks and apparently more phlegmatic" (12-13). These introductory remarks are indicative of a central problem of this...
    As we can read from the nationalist Alexandros Kosmas Kyrou's own words he does not like Poulton's book. Poulton's book 'Who are the Macedonians?' is frequently paraded on the propaganda modern "greek" websites as "proof" that we are actually "Bulgarians". And yes Poulton's book does indicate this. But we'll get more into that a bit later. Right now I would like everyone to look at the "outdated source" that Mr. Kyrou talks about in Poulton's book.

    page 13


    The outdated source is none other than NGL Hammond. The same 20th century Philhellene Hammond who stated that the Albanians were the reason modern "greece" gained its independence.

    More to come.

    P.S.- If anyone has the full review I would appreciate it because I would love nothing more than to see what Mr. Kyrou's thoughts are on the rest of Poulton's book.
    Slayer Of The Modern "greek" Myth!!!
  • TrueMacedonian
    Senior Member
    • Jan 2009
    • 3810

    #2


    Apparently this is another reason why Kyrou doesn't like Poulton's book. Because Poulton suggest that there was a "cultural break".
    Slayer Of The Modern "greek" Myth!!!

    Comment

    • Pelister
      Senior Member
      • Sep 2008
      • 2742

      #3
      Hammond draws his information from various ancient sources. How can what Herodotus, Thucycdides and the rest say about the ancient Macedonian be "outdated" in this case ?

      If Hammond draws his conclusions from these sources, then the original sources must be outdated to ?

      Or, was his point that the evidence of ancient writers and chroniclers is not the main issue today and that the considerations of the political community regarding this issue is more important than the words of some ancient chronicler ?

      Comment

      • TrueMacedonian
        Senior Member
        • Jan 2009
        • 3810

        #4
        I wish we had the whole book review handy Paul because then you would have your answer. I think that in calling Hammond outdated, shockingly, it denotes the ancient sources.
        Slayer Of The Modern "greek" Myth!!!

        Comment

        • TrueMacedonian
          Senior Member
          • Jan 2009
          • 3810

          #5
          Now as for Poulton and how he regards the Macedonian identity and what he refers to as "Bulgarians" throughout his book is another story to tackle. We have to remember something about history,,, it's never what it truly seems to be. If it looks crystal clear today tomorrow it may not look so clear and may get murky and dull.
          Here's a few things Poulton doesn't get into in his 210 page "history" of 'Who are the Macedonians?.

          He never mentions the fact that sources like Brailsford (which he uses and calls him a "balkan expert") state that Macedonians may be "Bulgarian" one day and "greek" the following day due to the rival propaganda churches. I find this to be unacceptable because there are so many sources that state this fact. Yet Poulton asserted his position that the "Slavs" in Macedonia were "Bulgarians".
          Of course he does not mention the socio-labor identity labels either. This in itself is misleading. Merchants were "greeks", Shepherds were "Vlachs", Peasants were "Bulgars" etc. was commonplace in and out of the Balkans from Balkanites themselves or westerners who had no clue what they were looking at.

          Poulton's 210 page assesment goes from ancient to Ottoman and skips over the East Roman (Byzantine) era within a page. I could go on and on about his lack of knowledge on Macedonian history, but I'll simply leave that to Keith Brown and his assesment on 'Who Are The Macedonians?'.

          page 20



          The Past in Question by Keith Brown.
          Slayer Of The Modern "greek" Myth!!!

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