MUTUAL AID AND OTHER FORMS OF JOINT WORK AS MANIFESTATIONS OF SOLIDARITY IN THE MACEDONIAN TRADITIONAL VILLAGE CULTURE

Abstract

“Mutual help” refers to a traditional folk institution of collective voluntary labor that constituted a central feature of the village as a social and economic community in Macedonia. Grounded in the principle of reciprocal exchange of labor services, this customary practice functioned as a mechanism of social cohesion, economic cooperation, and communal solidarity. Participation was voluntary, yet embedded within a shared moral framework that regulated obligations, expectations, and collective responsibility.

This paper examines traditional forms of customary mutual assistance and traces their transformations over time. The analysis draws on data collected through ethnographic field research, complemented by evidence documented in existing ethnographic literature. By situating mutual help within broader processes of social, economic, and cultural change, the study explores how this institution adapted to shifting rural realities, including modernization, migration, and changing patterns of labor organization. Through this examination, the paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of reciprocity and collective labor in the historical and contemporary structuring of rural communities in Macedonia.