The Fluctuation in the National Identification of a Part of the Muslim Population in the People’s Republic of Macedonia (Statistical and demographic analysis)

Abstract

This article analyzes the statistical and demographic data obtained from the first two censuses taken in the People’s Republic of Macedonia in 1948 and 1953 that show how the national identity of a part of the Muslim population (Turks, Albanians and Macedonians professing Islam) changed. The national identity of a part of the Muslim population at the time the censuses were taken was conditioned by several historical political, social and cultural factors. This is also a reason why these censuses do not give an accurate ethnic picture of the Macedonian society in the late 1940s and early 1950s. In fact, the authentic census data, useful in the making of a demographic analysis of Macedonia’s ethnic structure, are very often imprecise, which may hamper the research of the ethno-demographic characteristics of the Macedonian society.
Keywords: Ethno-demographic structure, Census,  Muslim population, Turks, Albanians, Macedonian Muslims, National Identification