Sofija Grandakovska (

Cyrillic The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Ea ...

: ''Софија Грандаковска'',

Romanized In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...

: ''Sofiya / Sofía Grandakovska'') (born 1973) is an academic, poet and author in the field of comparative literature studies and interdisciplinary studies in

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

and

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

, with a specialization in the Jewish and Holocaust history in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. Another area of interest is

Byzantine studies Byzantine studies is an interdisciplinary branch of the humanities that addresses the history, culture, demography, dress, religion/theology, art, literature/epigraphy, music, science, economy, coinage and politics of the Eastern Roman Empire. ...

. She has significant publications in

literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, plays, and poems. It includes both print and digital writing. In recent centuries, ...

and

visual semiotics Studies of meaning evolve from semiotics, a philosophical approach that seeks to interpret messages in terms of signs and patterns of symbolism. Contemporary semiotics consists of two branches originating contemporaneously in late 19th century Fra ...

literary theory Literary theory is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for literary analysis. Culler 1997, p.1 Since the 19th century, literary scholarship includes literary theory and considerations of intellectual history, m ...

, critics and interpretation and art.

Career

Education and work

Sofija Grandakovska received a bachelor's degree (1999), master's degree (2007) and doctorate (2009) (scientific compartment) from the Department of Comparative Literature, Faculty of Philology "Blaže Koneski",

Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje The Saints Cyril and Methodius University () is a public university, public research university in Skopje, North Macedonia. It is the oldest and largest public university in the country. It is named after the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Christ ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

. Her bachelor, master and doctoral dissertations are in the field of

and

. In the bachelor's thesis ''Inter-medial Aspects of the Icon (theology, semiotics and modern abstract art)'' 'Интермедијалните аспекти на иконата (теологија, семиотика, апстрактна уметност)''(1999), she applies the semiotic model of comparative study of literature and visual arts ( medieval icon and modern

abstract art Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a Composition (visual arts), composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. ''Abstract art'', ''non-figurative art'', ''non- ...

) to explore the question: "Does the word precede the image, or the image precedes the word?". The thesis was later developed in the academic book ''The Portrait of the Image'' 'Портретот на сликата''(2010). In 2006, Grandakovska was awarded "Best Young Scientist of the Year ''Vita Pop-Jordanova Award''" by the

Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts () is an academic institution in North Macedonia. History The Academy of Sciences and Arts was established by the Socialist Republic of Macedonia's assembly on 23 February 1967 as the highest scientifi ...

, for her extraordinary academic work and internationally published research papers in the field of comparative literary studies. Her 2007 master dissertation (published next year as ''The Discourse of the Prayer'' 'Говорот на молитвата'' is focused on defining the discourse of prayer in an interdisciplinary range, from archaic manifestations to its literary phenomena in

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, Hellenic,

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

and Christian-Orthodox tradition and semiotics of anthropology. Later in 2007, Grandakovska was nominated by the Department of Literature and Literary Science at the

for research program at the

Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , SANU) is a national academy and the most prominent academic institution in Serbia, founded in 1841 as Society of Serbian Letters (, DSS). The Academy's membership has included Nobel Prize, Nobel la ...

, in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

. As a doctoral fellow at the Institute for Byzantine Studies and the Institute for Balkan Studies, she researched the topic "Historical Perspectives between old Hebrew poetry and Byzantine Literature", developed in the 2009 doctoral dissertation ''The Acathistos Hymn in the Context of Byzantine Hymnography'' 'Богородичниот акатист во контекст на византиската химнографија'' later published as ''The Acathistos Hymn Through Word and Fresco-painting'' 'Неседалната химна низ слово и фреска''(2017). In the spring of 2009, she was a fellow at

apexart Apexart (stylized as apexart) is a non-profit art space located in Lower Manhattan, New York. The organization, founded by Steven Rand in 1994, combines spaces for creative endeavor and curation to encourage experimentation and innovation. apexa ...

arts center, and later that year she became assistant professor in the field of cultural theory at the Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities Research "Euro-Balkan" (

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

), where she taught in the period 2009 - 2013. In 2014, she was elected senior scientific associate / associate professor at Institute of National History,

. In 2013 - 2014, Grandakovska was a post-doctoral fellow at the International Institute for Holocaust Research of

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

. Her research topic was "Holocaust in Macedonia: The Deportation of Macedonian Jews", delving into their unrecognized civic status and their treatment as non-Bulgarian citizens in the territory of

Vardar Macedonia Vardar Macedonia (Macedonian language, Macedonian and ) is a historical term referring to the central part of the broader Macedonian region, roughly corresponding to present-day North Macedonia. The name derives from the Vardar, Vardar River and i ...

occupied, administrated and annexed by the

Kingdom of Bulgaria The Tsardom of Bulgaria (), also known as the Third Bulgarian Tsardom (), usually known in English as the Kingdom of Bulgaria, or simply Bulgaria, was a constitutional monarchy in Southeastern Europe, which was established on , when the Bulgaria ...

, which led to their deportation to

Treblinka II Treblinka () was the second-deadliest extermination camp to be built and operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the village of Treblinka in what is now the Masov ...

res nullius ''Res nullius'' is a term of Roman law meaning "things belonging to no one"; that is, property not yet the object of rights of any specific subject. A person can assume ownership of ''res nullius'' simply by taking possession of it ''( occupatio ...

. In 2016 - 2018, she was awarded a Saul Kagan Post-doctoral Fellowship in Advanced Shoah Studies by the

Claims Conference The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, or Claims Conference, represents the world's Jews in negotiating for compensation and restitution for victims of Nazi persecution and their heirs. According to Section 2(1)(3) of the Prop ...

for her research "The Jews from Macedonia and the Holocaust: Race, Citizenship, Deportation." Her interdisciplinary and inter-historical scientific investigation was focused on the questions of race and nation in the 20th century through the example of various Holocaust experiences of Macedonian Jews, including those from

and those residing on the territory of

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. As a Saul Kagan Fellow, Grandakovska was associated with the Faculty of Media and Communications at the

Singidunum University Singidunum University () is a private university in Belgrade, Serbia which offers undergraduate, master and doctoral academics studies in three scientific fields – social sciences and humanities; technical sciences; and natural sciences and m ...

(

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

). In 2018, she was a visiting scholar at the

Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City, namely the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva Univ ...

(

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

). Her research topic was "Parted Histories of the Sephardim from Monastir: Holocaust and the Migration to the States." The core focus of her research was centered at the settlement of the

Sephardi Jews Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

from the Macedonian town Monastir (Bitola), the so-called Monastirlis, in New York City, Indianapolis and Rochester, that occurred during three migratory waves in the period between 1900 and 1924. Grandakovska investigated their institutional (social, religious and professional) integration in the new American environment that provided a new geographical reference for this group and participated into a new cultural narrative of the 20th century history of these immigrant settlements. Since 2019, Grandakovska is professor at

John Jay College of Criminal Justice The John Jay College of Criminal Justice (John Jay) is a public college focused on criminal justice and located in New York City. It is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY). John Jay was founded as the only liberal arts col ...

(

City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

), at the Department of Anthropology. The subject she teaches explores matters of "culture and crime" manifested in violent form, with a particular emphasis on colonialism, war, and genocide in various societies, territories and times.

Comparative literature and cultural studies

Grandakovska authored several scholarly books on interdisciplinary studies of literature, art and culture. ''The Discourse of the Prayer'' (2008) studies the phenomenon of prayer in human history and its origins, its pre-literary context, and its development in various civilizations and human ways of overcoming fear and seeking good. The book further studies the prayer as a literary genre in the

Hellenistic In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, and the

Old Slavonic Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic ( ) is the first Slavic literary language and the oldest extant written Slavonic language attested in literary sources. It belongs to the South Slavic subgroup of the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European ...

literatures. ''The Portrait of the Image'' (2010) is a collection that unifies research carried out in twelve different themes, all connected to the interpretation of literary phenomena and of the forms of artistic and spiritual expression in the medieval and the contemporary epochs. The themes are presented as theoretical windows for the comprehension of the Macedonian cultural heritage, unifying several humanities' areas like archeology and her sub-disciplines, history of fine arts, art criticism, literary genres, cultural-historical analyses and the studies of the medieval church and contemporary spiritual culture. ''The Acathistos Hymn Through Word and Fresco-painting'' (2017) is a multidisciplinary study of the ethics, aesthetics and poetics of the Christian-Orthodox Achatistos hymn in its terminological comprehension, historical, literary, theological, liturgical and visual context. The research delves into the literary text of the Acathistos, as well as its transformation in the art of painting (like the example of the painted cycle in the church "St. Demetrius" within

Marko's Monastery Marko's Monastery (Macedonian language, Macedonian and ) is a monastery located in the village of Markova Sušica, from central Skopje in North Macedonia. The monastery bears the name of List of Serbian rulers, Serbian Prince Marko, who reigned a ...

near

). ''Miniatures and Maximums'' (2020) is a collection of literary scientific critical studies and essays on a range of topics, with the point of contact around the role of the literature in the contemporary social context. The five parts of the book are dedicated to Ancient and Byzantine poetics and visual arts, Holocaust and Jewish history and culture (presented through archival documents on the

in Ottoman Macedonia and the Sephardic literature), modern discourses of war, anthropology and deconstruction of the centers of power, contemporary Macedonian literature and shifts in the modern world literature challenged by the Russian avant-garde prose.

Jewish and Holocaust history in the Balkans

Grandakovska led the 2010–2011 international project " The Jews from Macedonia and the Holocaust", which materialized in a chrestomathy and an exhibition. The project was conducted in the context of dearth of studies about the fate of the Jews from Vardar Macedonia during the Second World War. She is editor, author of the foreword and a co-author of the bilingual chrestomathy '' The Jews from Macedonia and the Holocaust: History, Theory, Culture'' 'Евреите од Македонија и холокаустот: историја, теорија, култура''(2011). The book is structured as an interdisciplinary and intertextual approach, covering three major aspects of discussion regarding the Holocaust: history, culture and theory. It consists of original texts of 14 authors, as well as archival and photographic material. Grandakovska is also a writer of the catalogue and co-curator (together with Žaneta Vangeli, the designer of the exhibition) of the multimedia exhibition ''The Jews from Macedonia and the Holocaust'' (

, 2011, and Gallery of the Jewish Community, Belgrade, 2013), as a visual replica on the discursive level of the chrestomathy. The documentary film ''The Jews from Macedonia and the Holocaust'', based on her research and collection of documents, was realized by Zaneta Vangeli and produced by the Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities Research "Euro-Balkan" (2011). Grandakovska has managed the first Summer School in Holocaust studies "The Diverse Survival Strategies of Jewish and Roma Communities in Macedonia: From Resistance to Memorialization" (2011) in

, attended by young scholars from European countries and complemented by follow-up activities. In 2011–2012, she worked with

Michael Berenbaum Michael Berenbaum (born July 31, 1945, in Newark, New Jersey) is an American scholar, professor, rabbi, writer, and filmmaker, who specializes in the study of the Holocaust. He served as deputy director of the President's Commission on the Holoc ...

and served as professional consultant and researcher for the conceptual development of the project "Permanent Exhibition of the Holocaust Memorial Museum for the Jews from Macedonia" for the Berenbaum Group (Los Angeles, California). She was consultant, researcher and writer on the segment focused on the deportation of the Jews from Macedonia and the reorganization of the Jewish community in the

Socialist Republic of Macedonia The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia, Yugoslav Macedonia or simply Macedonia, was one of the six constituent republics of the post-World War II Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...

after the World War Two from the documentary film ''The Jews from Macedonia'', directed by Dejan Dimeski, produced by the Macedonian National Television and the Ministry of Culture of Macedonia (2016–17). In 2018, Grandakovska was principal researcher for Macedonia at the

European Holocaust Research Infrastructure The European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) is an international digital infrastructure and community. It is a joint undertaking of Holocaust historians, archivists, and specialists in digital humanities. Through the development of herit ...

and author of the study on the project to identify Holocaust-relevant legal cases, including major trials in Macedonia. Another area of her research on this topic is the fate of the Macedonian Jews who, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, happened to be outside Macedonia, in other territories occupied by the Nazis. She uncovered the names of about 200 Macedonian Jews murdered in the early phase of

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

by the German occupier in Serbia and its collaborator, the

quisling government ''Quisling'' (, ) is a term used in Scandinavian languages and in English to mean a citizen or politician of an occupied country who collaborates with an enemy occupying force; it may also be used more generally as a synonym for ''traitor'' or ...

Milan Nedić Milan Nedić ( sr-Cyrl, Милан Недић; 2 September 1878 – 4 February 1946) was a Yugoslav and Serbian army general and politician who served as the Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Yugoslav Army and minister of war in the ...

and by the Ustashas in the Nazi satellite

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...

Poetry

Grandakovska is the author of two bilingual books of poetry. ''The Eighth Day'' (2005) is described as a modern lyric mythological-poetic epic around holiness perceived and understood as light, a subject of yearning for man, while ''The Burning Sun'' (2009) as a type of a modern religious imagination that adopts the discourse of prayer as its semiotic framework for understanding an intimate form of communication with the sacredness.

Background

Grandakovska's ancestors were

from the neighborhoods Big Yard and New Synagogue of the Ottoman Monastir (nowadays

Bitola Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...

). Her more recent ancestors were among the few who survived the Holocaust by changing their name.

Works

Comparative literature and cultural studies - sole author *''The Discourse of the Prayer'' 'Говорот на молитвата''(2008) *''The Portrait of the Image'' 'Портретот на сликата''(2010) *''The Achatistos Hymn Through Word and Fresco-painting'' 'Неседалната химна низ слово и фреска''(2017) *''Miniatures and Maximums'' 'Минујатури и максимали''(2020) - co-editor and contributor (author): * ''DOMA'' 'HOME'' vol. 0, a bilingual (English-Macedonian) book-zine edition, edited by Antonio Petrov, Sofija Grandakovska (2010) Jewish and Holocaust history in the Balkans - editor and co-author * '' The Jews from Macedonia and the Holocaust: History, Theory, Culture'' 'Евреите од Македонија и холокаустот: историја, теорија, култура''(2011) Poetry *''The Eight Day'' 'Осмиот ден''(2005) *''The Burning Sun'' 'Препечено сонце''(2009) Literary translations *''Sephardic Stories'' 'Сефарски приказни''(2014), literary stories by

Eliezer Papo Rabbi Eliezer Papo (1785–1828) was the rabbi of the community of Silistra in the Ottoman Empire (modern-day Bulgaria). He is famous for writing the '' Pele Yoetz'', a work of musar (ethical) literature which gives advice on how to behave as a ...

, translation from Serbian to Macedonian *''Sarajevo Megila'' 'Сараевска Мегила''(2014), novel by Eliezer Papo, translation from Serbian to Macedonian *''The Master and His Students'' 'Учителот и неговите соговорници''(2016), novel by Eliezer Papo, translation from Serbian to Macedonian *''54 poems and one verse'' '54 песни и еден стих''(2018), book of poetry by Aleksandar Petrov, translation from Serbian to Macedonian

Awards

* Testimonial for academic and research work on cultural heritage in Macedonia (project ''The Female Monasticism in Macedonia''), awarded by Ford Grant and the

Museum of the City of Skopje The Museum of the City of Skopje (, ) is a complex city museum focusing on Skopje, capital of North Macedonia, development from its origins to the modern era. The museum is home to permanent еxhibitions representing the history of Skopje, from t ...

(2004) * Best Young Scientist of the Year ''Vita Pop-Jordanova Award'' from the

, for her extraordinary academic work and internationally published research papers in the field of Comparative Literary Studies, in accordance with international classification (2006) * National Recognition by the Decision of the

Government of the Republic of Macedonia Politics in North Macedonia occur within the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Leg ...

regarding receiving the ''Vita Pop-Jordanova Award'' from the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (2006) * Award as a sign of recognition for the affirmation of

regarding receiving the ''Vita Pop-Jordanova Award'' from the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (2006) * Certificate of gratitude from the Directorate for Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Macedonia (of the Ministry of Culture), for her participation in a project of historical significance for the Republic of Macedonia, ''Macedonia: Millennial Cultural and Historical Facts'' (2013)

References

External links

Professor Sofija Grandakovska's page at John Jay College of Criminal Justice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grandakovska, Sofija Historians of the Holocaust Semioticians Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje alumni John Jay College of Criminal Justice faculty 1973 births Living people Macedonian Jews