Albanian National Identity in the twenty-first century: Escaping from the Ottoman heritage?

Abstract

Albanian identity is contested. Albanians have developed an idiosyncratic and syncretic ‘identity’ over the centuries, reflecting the layered elements of the nation’s past. Of the Byzantine, Roman, Ottoman and Communist periods, it is the long centuries of Ottoman rule that inevitably left the greatest impact on Albanian culture and society. Communist dictator, Enver Hoxha attempted to shift Albanian identity dramatically to another path, but the short-term impact of communism pale in comparison to the long-term, deep-seated effects of the Ottoman Empire. Debates about Albanian identity and its belonging to the Ottoman heritage are far from resolved and in the current Albanian environment, scholars and writers, politicians and media commentators, are divided in their perceptions of the national identity. Many support prominent Albanian writer, Ismail Kadare’s argument in favour of a still-extant European identity underpinning Albanian culture. For Kadare this “frozen” identity survived the Ottoman centuries and must be freed from the remnants of the Ottoman heritage still clinging to it. Others position themselves with Rexhep Qosja—the leader of the opposing camp who argues that Albanian identity is different from that of Europe, that Albanian civilisation draws on both East and West, in particular, that Albanians lost their Christian origins, becoming deeply influenced by Muslim culture during the past centuries, and hence belong to the East rather than the West. Thus, in the twenty-first century, Albanian society is divided, and perceptions of identity mirror these two dominant lines of thought. Tensions remain high in the Western Balkans, Turkey is now a powerful state, and Turkish influence has been strongly directed towards the Albanian, Kosovar and Bosnian governments, as well as to local Muslim populations, many of whom are Albanians. Turkish foreign policy has been aggressively promoted in Albania and Kosovo, on the basis that deep-seated cultural similarities, geo-political, economic, regional and energy security matters bind their futures together. This influence, and present-day Albania’s engagement with Turkey, will have important consequences for Albanians in the future. The aim of this thesis is to shed new light on the nuances of the expression of Albanian identity in relation to the Ottoman heritage, and to gauge the extent to which Ottoman heritage, Turkish influence and Albanian identity and self-understanding are linked at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It is hoped that scholars, policy makers, educators, and academics will use the findings detailed in this thesis to better inform themselves regarding the ways Albanians identify themselves in terms of both East and West