Irena Stefoska

Stefoska has a degree (1991) from the Institute of Classical Studies of Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, master's degrees from Central European University in Budapest (1994) and the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade (2001), and a PhD (2007) from Skopje's Institute of History at the Faculty of Philosophy.

She has held a Fulbright Scholarship and a Robert Bosch Stiftung Fellowship in Historical Dialogue and Accountability at Columbia University, United States, and been a research professor at Brown University in the US from 2009 to 2010. Stefoska also spent time at the Georg Eckart Institute in Braunschweig, Germany. Before becoming Minister of Culture she was a full time professor of the Institute of National History at Skobje.

Stefoska became a member of Parliament of North Macedonia in 2016. From 2016 to 2020 she chaired the Parliamentary Committee on Culture and the group for cooperation with the Greek Parliament. She was appointed Minister of Culture in August 2020, replacing Husni Ismaili.

Stefoska claimed her three priorities as Minister to be “European integration, cultural heritage and young people”.{{Cite web |date=2020-12-02 |title=Stefoska: We need a common agenda of the Western Balkans for innovations, research, education, culture |url=https://telegrafi.com/en/Stefoska,-we-need-a-common-agenda-for-the-Western-Balkans-for-innovation,-research,-education-and-culture/ |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=Telegrafi |language=en}} She also claimed that culture is not a luxury but rather an “important strategic investment’ for the benefit of society.{{Cite web |last=Altiparmakova - Marusic |first=Bisera |date=13 December 2021 |title=Minister Stefoska: The false perception of culture as luxury must change |url=https://mia.mk/en/story/minister-stefoska-the-false-perception-of-culture-as-luxury-must-change |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=MNA}} In 2021 the opposition party, Alternative, accused Stefoska of discriminating against Albanian artists.{{Cite web |date=2021-05-26 |title=Alternative: The Minister of Culture, Irena Stefoska, continues to discriminate against Albanians |url=https://telegrafi.com/en/the-alternative,-the-Minister-of-Culture-Irena-Stefoska-continues-to-discriminate-against-Albanians/ |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=Telegrafi |language=en}} Stefoska was replaced as Minister in 2022 by Bisera Kostadinovska-Stojcevska).

• {{cite journal |last1=Stefoska |first1=Irena |last2=Stojanov |first2=Darko |title=A tale in stone and bronze: old/new strategies for political mobilization in the Republic of Macedonia |journal=Nationalities Papers |date=May 2017 |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=356–369 |doi=10.1080/00905992.2017.1308346|doi-access=free }}
• {{cite journal |last1=Stefoska |first1=Irena |last2=Stojanov |first2=Darko |title=Remembering and forgetting the SFR Yugoslavia. Historiography and history textbooks in the Republic of Macedonia |journal=Südosteuropa |date=1 January 2016 |volume=64 |issue=2 |pages=206–225 |doi=10.1515/soeu-2016-0016|s2cid=163761823 }}
• {{Cite Q| Q133698608}}
• {{Cite Q| Q133698609}}
• {{Cite Q| Q133698610}}

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• [https://www.facebook.com/StefoskaIrena Stefoska's Facebook page]

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Category:Living people

Category:Culture ministers of North Macedonia

Category:Women government ministers of North Macedonia

Category:Politicians from Skopje

Category:21st-century Macedonian women politicians

Category:21st-century Macedonian politicians

Category:Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje alumni

Category:Academic staff of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje

Category:Central European University alumni

Category:University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy alumni

Category:Brown University faculty

Category:Columbia University faculty

Category:1967 births