Gendered heritage in the material culture of post-socialist Skopje

By looking at the depiction of women in the semiotics of two different
heritage landscapes in Skopje, my aim in this article is to show how the
symbolic power of heritage can navigate and reflect actual political tendencies and ruling styles. The main question that I wish to address is: How
are gender roles represented and performed in the heritage practice of
present-day North Macedonia as opposed to Yugoslav times and how
does gendered heritage contribute to strengthening young nationalisms?
The discussion shows that the symbolic representation of women in the
public space not only reflects the political and social agenda of the
establishment but also has an ethical and disciplinary role in shaping
identities. moreover, the symbolic masculinisation of the public space in
Sko014 reflects the actual ‘backlash’ of gender equality that took place in
all spheres of life during the time the VMRO DPMNE (The Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation – Democratic Party for
Macedonian National Unity) was in power