Ethnic Identity of Aromanians/Vlachs in the 21st Century

Abstract

and in Serbia in 2015. Appearing already in the title of my article the name "Aromanians" binds a specific political option, of with which I am aware. The use of this term by the Aromanian elites in Europe is the basis of my decision for its use. 5 Knowledge of i.e. Greek gave access to the high culture and was an important tool in trading activity-this is considered a fundamental mechanism of Hellenization (cf. T. Kahl,

Vlach vocal traditional music in the region of Homolje from the legacy of Olivera Mladenovic

“…region are not fully understood and this is undoubtedly influenced by current political developments, such as the so-called "Vlach Question" (Novaković, Đurđević 2015) and Serbian-Romanian relations. The historical perception is further complicated by the ambiguity of the ethnonym Vlach, which did not always refer to ethnicity, as well as the fact that this ethnic community has been variously named in Serbia so far: Romanians, Aromanians, Romanivlachs (cf: Vlahović 1984;Nowicka 2016). What is unambiguous is the fact that culturally Vlachs are different from Serbs, but many scholars note that Vlachs are very quickly assimilated by the majority (Serbian) population, so some refer to them as "chameleons of the Balkans" (cf: Лазић 1938; Nowicka 2016), which is undoubtedly reflected in their musical heritage as well.…”

Developing rural tourism in minority ethnic villages: Zlot and Xiaocang She Ethnic township

“…The Vlachs are an ethnic minority who inhabit eastern part of Serbia and they are culturally and linguistically related to Romanians: they speak the dialects similar to ones in parts of western Romania that belong to a completely different language family from a Serbian and have a distinct local customs and traditions. Historically speaking, the Vlachs have never had their own country and today they live in five of the Balkan Peninsula countries (Greece, Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Bulgaria), as well as in Romanian Dobrogea (Nowicka, 2016). This minority is highly assimilated into Serbian society, many of them are even considering themselves Serbs that speak the Vlach language, are bilingual in Serbian and Vlach languages, and adhering to the Eastern Orthodox Church, a religion which most Serbs are a part of.…”