The exodus of the Macedonians from Aegean Macedonia- a process of individual and collective trauma

The issue of the reasons that led to the exodus of the Macedonians from Aegean Macedonia after the Greek Civil War and the consequences caused by it is treated in this work. With our analysis, based on multiple sources of data, we would like to confirm the assumption that during a long period of time, and especially after the Greek Civil War, Macedonians were - and are still - exposed to various forms of institutional and non-institutional repression, which presents trauma with consequences on the individual and collective level. The consequences of this repression are felt by the Republic of Macedonia in which a large number of expelled Macedonians - citizens of Greece - have settled. The general attitude of the Macedonian citizens in relation to the name dispute is largely interwoven by feelings of trauma arising from the stated exodus and the contemporary course of policies that shape up the relations between the two countries, but also the international political situation of the Republic of Macedonia, the membership of the UN and in particular the processes of integration in the European Union and NATO.