Albanian Immigrants In Greece Research Articles

Diasporic youth identities of uncertainty and hope: second-generation Albanian experiences of transnational mobility in an era of economic crisis in Greece

ABSTRACTThis paper explores various dimensions of ‘gender’ and ‘mobility’ among immigrant youth from a transnational perspective in an era of economic crisis. The extent and parameters of continuity, contestation and change in migrant youth identities are analysed and we suggest that neither gender nor identity are stable categories but are embedded in sociocultural particularities both in the country of residence (Greece) but also in the country of origin (Albania). Through in-depth interviews with 52 participants, all second-generation Albanian immigrants in Greece born to two Albanian parents, the paper addresses youth identification in relation to gendered representations of belonging. The narrative accounts that we have selected and analysed reflect the emotional challenges, constraints and creativity of Albanian youth.

The Effect of Socio-demographic Variables on Acculturation of Albanian Immigrants in Greece

Since the early 90s a migratory wave began overwhelms Greece. The majority of immigrants were from Albania. The Greek community, having a very high national and religious homogeneity faced immigrants with negativity. The aim of the present study is to explore the effect of demographic variables on Acculturation of Albanian immigrants in Greece. The sample was constituted of 306 Albanian immigrants in Greece. The results showed that Integration of immigrants is positively affected by female gender. The old age of immigrants was found to lead them to Separation, while the long stay in Greece lead to Assimilation. The 2nd generation immigrants were found to experience more Assimilation and less Separation and Marginalization than the 1st generation immigrants. The length of studies in Greece showed to improve Assimilation and simultaneously to reduce Separation and Marginalization.

Ethnolinguistic vitality, language use and social integration amongst Albanian immigrants in Greece

The focus of this paper is on the relationship between Albanian speakers' ethnolinguistic vitality (EV) perceptions and their language maintenance, language use and choice patterns. A subjective EV questionnaire, and a language usage questionnaire capturing domain-specific language use was completed by 200 Albanian immigrants of first and second (one and a half) generation residing in various areas all over Greece. In addition, interviews were conducted with 180 informants from the sample to generate useful information for the qualitative analysis. The findings of this study chime with recent findings on Albanian immigrants' social integration strategies. Data analysis uncovers three themes: first, language use is domain-specific, with preferences for the L1 in the home/family domain only, L2 being the language of choice elsewhere especially for the 1.5 generation; second, there are low perceptions of EV of the L1 group across the sample; and third, there is evidence for a shift in language use and competence as a result of an integrative attitude to migration by the respondents, governed mostly by practical reasons.

Family language policies among Albanian immigrants in Greece

This article reports on an investigation of family language policies among 37 Albanian immigrant families in Northern Greece within the framework of Spolsky's language policy model. Data collection was based on semi-directed interviews with parents which were analysed using both content and discourse analysis. According to our findings, three groups of families were observed in our sample. A small number of families (n=4) did not transmit the ethnic language to their children and showed no interest in maintaining ties with the homeland. In another group of families (n=12) positive attitudes towards ethnic language maintenance were accompanied by specific language management efforts and language practices in support of the ethnic language. However, the majority of our informants (n=21) did not engage in such efforts, even though they, too, expressed positive attitudes towards Albanian language maintenance. We argue that although most immigrant parents may share positive attitudes towards ethnic language maintenance, they may differ as to whether they embrace bilingualism as an asset or accept the dominant ideology according to which the simultaneous development of two languages may hinder the development of the majority language.

Social development and transnational households: resilience and motivation for Albanian immigrants in Greece in the era of economic crisis

This paper examines the ways in which the Greek economic crisis has affected the social development of Albanian immigrants in both the sending and the host country. It focuses on transnational households and family development projects and examines the degree of resilience and the power of motivation that drives people’s reactions during the crisis, comparing first- and second-generation immigrants. My research focuses mainly on those Albanian immigrants who by the third year of the economic crisis still live in Greece. The empirical analysis is based on primary data derived from participant observation, a semi-structured questionnaire with second-generation migrants and in-depth interviews amongst first- and second-generation Albanian immigrants residing in both urban and rural areas in Greece.

Dietary habits of Albanian immigrants living in Greece in comparison to Albanians living in their country

The aim of this study was the investigation of the dietary habits of Albanian immigrants living in Greece for at least 3 years in comparison to those living in Albania permanently. The study was designed as a comparative cross-sectional one. The sample consisted of 638 persons, of whom 299 were living in Greece and 339 were permanently living in Albania. Dietary habits were recorded by a quantitative questionnaire, including all food categories that have been used for the estimation of the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS). Demographic information, data on education, work and income were recorded. Data collection took place in both Greece and Albania by means of a personal interview. The mean MDS was 32 (±4.2) and 30.3 (±4.5) for Albanian immigrants in Greece and residents of Albania, respectively, (p < 0.001). Bivariate analysis identified that the participants with higher education level, more physical activity, monthly family income ≥€1,500, those with 3–7 meals per day, those with 5–7 breakfasts a week, employed and ex-smokers displayed higher MDS. In the multivariate linear regression analysis, residents of Greece had higher MDS than residents of Albania. Also, those with higher education level, those with more physical activity, those with 3–7 meals per day and those employed had higher MDS. The findings of this study showed that dietary habits of Albanian immigrants in Greece were improved compared to those of the Albanians living in their home country.

From communist past to capitalist present: labour market experiences of Albanian immigrants in Greece

This paper examines Albanian migrants' labour market adaptation in Greece through comparing and contrasting their work and life experiences under the Albanian socialist past and the current Greek capitalist milieu. Migration from one to the other presents migrants with challenges and experiences previously unknown to them. Such an approach is necessary when researching migration from Albania and former socialist countries more broadly, where work experiences and realities were structured around totally different concepts and philosophies from those in the capitalist world. Through comparing experiences of Albanian migrants from rural and urban areas I also unravel how migration reconstructs social status and class. Where there was a hierarchical structure in Albania in the past, in Greece they are all Alvanos (Albanian migrants).

The Greek crisis effects on the Albanian economy

The study of the effects of the crisis of Greece has a special significance for two reasons: The first the large number of Albanian immigrants in Greece, and second is the fact that Greek investments are in sectors of economy. The first part of the analysis has to do with the effects of immigrants on the Greek crisis, collapse of economic growth in Greece, increased unemployment and poverty, which affects the emigrants. The second part of the analysis is the impact of the crisis in the Greek banking system, which is analyzed in several aspects: the safety of deposits, the credit of the Albanian economy and the investment banking sector. The third part of the analysis concerns the reduction of foreign direct investment. Reduction of Greek investments in the banking and telecommunications will grow negative effects.

Choice of Money Transfer Methods in the Case of Albanian Immigrants in Greece

This paper investigates the choice of the method that immigrants use for the transfer of savings to their home country. The paper examines the example of Albanian immigrants in Greece using a sample of permanent and seasonal immigrants. Three methods were proposed to the immigrants: the banking network, money transfer companies and hand carried transfer by their or a relative’s return in Albania. Cost and quickness of transfer were considered as a parameter for the choice. The paper finds that despite the growth of remittances through the official network and the growth of this network in Albania, immigrants prefer to send money through the parallel market by their return or a relative’s in Albania. Within the official market, permanent immigrants are more likely to use the banking network while seasonal immigrants prefer to use the money transfer companies’ network.

Language shift in second generation Albanian immigrants in Greece

Albanian immigration to Greece started in the beginning of the 1990s and the second generation of Albanian immigrants is a recent phenomenon. This paper presents the findings of research investigating language maintenance/shift among second generation Albanian immigrants in Athens using as main informants adolescents of Albanian origin. Quantitative and qualitative data on children's language competence and on patterns of language use within Albanian households indicate that the Albanian ethnolinguistic group is undergoing rapid language shift. For the social psychological dimension of the study, data were gathered by utilising the concept of ethnolinguistic vitality and some items of the subjective vitality questionnaire (SVQ). The SVQ data indicate low vitality perceptions among second generation Albanian immigrants. Finally, while Albanian parents express positive attitudes to language maintenance, in practice many do not take the necessary measures for intergenerational language transmission.

Forms of Social Capital and the Incorporation of Albanian Immigrants in Greece

In this article we present findings of a qualitative study of Albanian immigrants in Athens and Mytilene (on the island of Lesvos) in Greece. The study investigates the role that various forms of social capital can play in the social, economic and institutional incorporation of Albanian immigrants in Greek society. The paper focuses specifically on immigrants’ interpretations and experiences of social incorporation processes in Greece, placing emphasis on the significance of family, kinship, ethnic and other social networks for immigrants’ working and life trajectories in the country. Finally, the investigation of the impact of three main forms of social capital—bonding, bridging and linking—on the social incorporation of Albanian immigrants, leads to the question of Greek migration policy formation and reveals the need for its radical restructuring.

Appendicectomies in Albanians in Greece: outcomes in a highly mobile immigrant patient population.

BackgroundAlbanian immigrants in Greece comprise a highly mobile population with unknown health care profile. We aimed to assess whether these immigrants were more or less likely to undergo laparotomy for suspected appendicitis with negative findings (negative appendicectomy), by performing a controlled study with individual (1:4) matching. We used data from 6 hospitals in the Greek prefecture of Epirus that is bordering Albania.ResultsAmong a total of 2027 non-incidental appendicectomies for suspected appendicitis performed in 1994-1999, 30 patients with Albanian names were matched (for age, sex, time of operation and hospital) to 120 patients with Greek names. The odds for a negative appendicectomy were 3.4-fold higher (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24-9.31, p = 0.02) in Albanian immigrants than in matched Greek-name subjects. The difference was most prominent in men (odds ratio 20.0, 95% CI, 1.41-285, p = 0.02) while it was not formally significant in women (odds ratio 1.56, 95% CI, 0.44-5.48). The odds for perforation were 1.25-fold higher in Albanian-name immigrants than in Greek-name patients (95% CI 0.44- 3.57).ConclusionsAlbanian immigrants in Greece are at high risk for negative appendicectomies. Socioeconomic, cultural and language parameters underlying health care inequalities in highly mobile immigrant populations need better study.