Blog Post 1

 

If the term “national identity” is foreign to you, allow me to explain. National identity is a sense of belonging to one nation and shared characteristics that help bring together a group of people. Albania’s national identity is based on linguistic, territorial, religious, and historical aspects, which help build a strong community and a shared sense of relatability amongst the population. 

The Role of Language in Albania’s National Identity 

In terms of language, Albania has one main language spoken throughout the country, but there are two different dialects. There is the Tosk dialect that is mainly spoken in the southern regions of Albania and there is the Gheg dialect that is mainly spoken in the northern regions of Albania. Language was one of the main unifying factors that helped strengthen Albania’s sense of national identity. 

“It was different from the language of their neighbors and that of the rulers, and, if the dialects could be united into a common language, their national identity would be strengthened. But before this unification could be achieved there was urgent need for the unification of the alphabets. When in 1908 the alphabet question was solved, a great step toward national unification was made. Since the adopted alphabet was Latin, it meant also a break with the Ottomans and a further assertion of Albanian nationality, especially on the part of the Muslim.” (Stavro Skendi, 1975, p. 189). 

Language is a symbol of cultural heritage as well as unity for Albanians. The Ottomans, a very powerful empire who had expanded their territory to take over parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, had a lasting impact on the culture and history of the regions they took over. Albania was one of these regions they unfortunately took over. Adopting the Latin alphabet showcases how the Albanians efforts of trying to separate themselves from the Ottomans is rooted in the establishment of their individuality and finally being able to build their own sense of identity. This was a significant step that was taken towards independence and reclaiming cultural identity. The Latin alphabet is widely used in Western languages, so Albanians were now able to communicate with other cultures easily. This shows how the Albanian language is such an important aspect for Albanian national identity. It is different from the languages of its surrounding countries, yet at the same time is still connected through the shared victimhood of the Ottomans,  

The Role of Territory in Albania’s National Identity 

Throughout history, Albanians have had to face many challenges and struggles to maintain and protect their territorial boundaries. The collective desire for national unity and for the preservation of Albanian lands help create a strong sense of pride and identity. Specifically, Albania has been ruled over by other countries and empires in the past, such as Germany, Italy, and the Ottoman Empire. Albania has strong historical connections to regions beyond their border.   

“They were the last of the Ottoman Empire’s Balkan subjects to gain their independence, and the creation of the Albanian state in 1912 left more than half of the Albanian population living outside the borders of the new state in Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and northwestern Greece. As a result, elite struggles amongst Albanians, in conjunction with external pressures, were the main motivating factor behind the creation of two rival maps, one of an expansionary and the other of a contractionary nature – maps that have continued to replace one another at various junctures throughout the twentieth century and beyond.” (Miranda Vickers, 2015, p. 774). 

In 1912, when Albania officially became an independent country, many Albanians ended up living outside of the border due to how the border lines were drawn. This left many ethnic Albanians outside of Albanian land, in regions such as Macedonia, Montenegro, and Kosovo. This shows how Albania has strong historical connections to regions beyond its border, and how they have had to suffer due to the actions of other stronger forces. By just looking at Albania’s geographical location, one could imagine how fertile and rich the land is while also being a coastal country and bordering the water. With such a long history of other powerful forces taking over their land, it is no mystery as to why Albanian’s have such a deep attachment to their soil.  

The Role of Religion and History in Albania’s National Identity 

Albania’s rich and complex history holds great importance in shaping the country’s sense of national identity. It all stems back to the Ottoman Empire’s rule over them and the Albanians fight for independence, for the shared victimhood of the rule built up a sense of resilience and unity among the Albanians. They went through times of cultural assimilation and resistance and through that they developed a strong sense of national consciousness. The Ottoman Empire left a lasting impact on the region, especially on the region’s religion.  

“In the Balkan countries nationalism was constructed first of all based on linguistic and religious identity (Todorova 2006: 262). But the existence of 3 religious faiths and the way the Ottoman Empire considered them has been seen as one of the biggest problems for the consolidation of the Albanian nation. In general, Muslims were considered Turks and Orthodox Christians – Greeks. For this reason the Albanian nation would be constructed based first of all on language, territory, and history and that religion should not become a component of national identity, but should remain in the private sphere of life.” (Armanda Hysa, 2021, p. 340). 

Although religion was not intended to be a main factor of Albania’s national identity, it still had a strong influence on the region. Albania is known to be a religiously diverse country, with a significant population of Muslims, Christians (Orthodox and Catholic), and other religious communities. Muslims are the largest religious group in Albania, which showcases the Ottoman Empire’s lasting impact as it was an Islamic Caliphate. Despite varying religious affiliations, Albanians do share a commitment to religious freedom. The acknowledgment of religious diversity helps contribute to the shared sense of unity and acceptance among the Albanian people.   

Othering 

Othering is creating a sense of “us” versus “them” based on different factors. Othering is a concept that refers to the process of viewing and treating an individual or community as “different” from oneself or one’s own community. Albania is a country that has gone through many struggles throughout history, such as the rule of the Ottoman Empire. In the case of othering, the Ottoman Empire would be viewed as the external force or the “other”.  

“On the other hand, national identity implies difference. Its existence presupposes the existence of ‘others’, other nations, or other individuals, who do not belong to the ingroup and from which the ingroup must be distinguished. National consciousness, in other words, renders both commonality and difference meaningful.” (Anna Triandafyllidou, 1998, p. 599).  

It is important to understand that “othering” helped create Albania’s sense of national identity, because of how they were differentiated during the Ottoman Rule and by foreign occupations like Nazi Germany during WWII. Albania tended to find itself overpowered by larger and more powerful external forces. This drove their deep desire to preserve their identity and not let it be forgotten or painted over by external forces. Albania heavily promoted their language and preserved their history, which allowed Albanians to assert their uniqueness and maintain a strong sense of cultural identity, especially in the face of external forces. Their othering caused them to become stronger than ever before and helped establish their strong sense of national identity. Now, this does not take away the fact that Albania has othered certain groups within its borders. Specifically, before the establishment of dictatorship the Albanians who live in more rural mountainous areas were not given the same opportunities as the of the Albanian people who lived in more urban areas. They found themselves stuck in a vicious cycle which did not allow them to flourish. The areas were mostly made up of Orthodox villages that lived as “relatively self-sustained peasant communities with clear social boundaries” (Gerda Dalipaj, 2021, 79). The Albanians from the rural areas started moving to the city with the establishment of the communist regime. They wanted to be in an environment which granted them more freedom. Unfortunately, the movement of people was becoming more and more restricted due to authoritarianism. This caused many people in rural Albania to be stuck in their villages.  

“What you can’t move are also the social borders within your own society. The isolation put also strong boundaries on the information providing, guiding this way people’s thinking on what Albanian society and other societies were, or should be. People couldn’t choose a profession by themselves, couldn’t practice religious beliefs, couldn’t become a little richer, couldn’t gather or associate around specific ideals.” (Gerda Dalipaj, 2021, 81).  

The Albanian rural people were stopped from gaining knowledge and the freedom which they deserved. They were stopped from getting better living conditions and better services which they could only receive outside of rural Albania. This resulted in them being irrevocably damaged due to their lack of opportunity and being stuck in a harmful cycle rooted in inequality. This caused for the Albanian rural people to be forgotten in the sense that they were isolated from the rest of Albania, therefore their identity was not given much importance.

References

Dalipaj, G. (2021). The otherness outside and within. In E. Marushiakova (Ed.), Dynamics of national identity and transnational identities in the process of European integration. (pp. 76-88). Cambridge Scholars Publishing

 Hysa, A. (2021). The religious identity of Albanians. In E. Marushiakova (Ed.), Dynamics of national identity and transnational identities in the process of European integration. (pp. 339-352). Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Skendi, S. (1975). Language as a factor of national identity in the Balkans of the nineteenth 

century. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 119(2), 186-189. http://www.jstor.org/stable/986634

Triandafyllidou, A. (1998). National identity and the “other.” Ethnic and Racial Studies, 21(4), 593–612. https://doi.org/10.1080/014198798329784 

Vickers, M. (2015). [Review of the book Contested Borders – Territorialisation, National Identity and ‘Imagined Geographies’ in Albania, by Ilir Kalemaj]. European History Quarterly, 45(4), 773-776. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265691415607130o