As argued in this thesis, a Macedonian-Australian identity is an elusive and evolving
category. Nonetheless, the various Macedonian-Australian institutions and
organisations, as well as the activities that they perform, described in this thesis, give definition and shape to a distinctive Macedonian identity. The thesis argues that
Macedonian identity is not fixed, but is the product of lived experience and
engagement with the issues that confront them in the modern context. This identity is not a static fusion of discrete 'traditional' and 'modern' identities, which come
together to constitute another (composite) self-contained identity. Rather, the
Macedonian-Australian identity is viewed as representing dynamic processes of
'negotiation' between various cross-cutting trajectories, that are constructed in
response to changing social and cultural circumstances. The thesis describes these
processes as they are enacted in the Australian context, including the contestation Macedonian identity that was part of what has come to be known as 'the Greek-
Macedonian debate'. The thesis argues that Macedonians draw on their historic
heritage and culture, as well as on elements that are part of their lives in Australia, in order to construct an evolving identity unlike any other. The thesis also poses some
important questions about the future development of a tolerant and democratic
multicultural policy for Australia.