ABSTRACT
The Pomaks live dispersed in five Balkan states: Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece, Albania and Turkey. They represent a perfect case to study the political intricacies around the unsettled identity of a transborder religious minority. The specific, multi-level identity of the Pomaks explains much about the present circumstance of the divided community. Their identity is not as exclusive as the typical national identities in the Balkans. Medical science has also been involved in the dispute among nationalisms over the identity of the Pomaks. A Greek "medical" experiment sought to prove the "non-Slavic blood" of the Slavic-speaking Pomaks. The Democratic Party of the Turks in Macedonia and the Albanian Party of Democratic Progress utilised the census in May–July 1994 to persuade the Muslim Macedonians to register as Turks. Another party claiming to represent the Muslim Macedonians, the Party for Democratic Action is characterised by Skopje as an organisation of immigrants from Bosnia.
