Abstract

The question addressed in this thesis is whether the local identity of a group of individuals who define themselves as Dopii Makedones (a subgroup of Greek Macedonians) living in the region of Greek Macedonia in northern Greece, constitute an ethnic group. Dopii are not considered an ethnic group by Greek society or by officials of the Greek state. The recognition of their ethnic group status by Greek society is complicated by their role in the Macedonian Question. According to the anthropological literature, the development of Dopian identity was influenced by the Greek state's nation-building process in the region during the 19 th and 20 th centuries. It was also reinforced by their economic and societal marginalization by state representatives and by wider society. It has been observed that in addition to their local ethnic identity, a small fraction of this group have adopted a Macedonian national identity rather than a Greek one. A number of factors have been defined as being conducive to the maintenance of Dopian identity, such as lack of upward mobility, personal experiences with society and the state, and local interethnic relations. In the town of Pentalofos, the ethnic group identity of Dopii was largely symbolic. Intermarriage was singled out as the factor that had supplanted ethnic group stratification and relations. Their group identity was based on their notion of shared ethnic origins, their ability to speak the dialect of Dopika, and their collective historical experience. The transmission of their dialect is on the wane, as young adults do not speak it.