Ethnic Albanians Research Articles

THE REVIVAL OF SERBIAN NATIONALISM IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA

With the establishment of Yugoslavia as a state that consisted of several nations such as Croats, Slovenes, Bosnians, Albanians, Macedonians and Serbs, there will constantly be attempts to dominate other nations. For Serbia, the Yugoslav state will only be a tool for Serbian domination, which, in turn, stimulated Croatian national opposition. Nationalism will come to the fore mostly from the years 1844 with the infamous "Nacertania" program until the end of the Second World War. Serbian nationalism will also be emphasized during Tito's leadership, with the program of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1986 and its implementation by Slobodan Milosevic. The Serbs never stopped these forms of war even with the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo and the Albanians who lived in other territories in the former Yugoslavia, but they managed to adapt them, depending on the political currents in the world, and continued the ethnocide that can be taken as an example flagrant application of silent fascism that acted in the institutional framework, without any serious reaction from the outside.

Correction to ‘Examining beliefs about reconciliation and social integration in Kosovo: Testing effects of interethnic contact and differences in perspective among ethnic Albanians and Serbs’

Correction to ‘Examining beliefs about reconciliation and social integration in Kosovo: Testing effects of interethnic contact and differences in perspective among ethnic Albanians and Serbs’

Religious Diversity and The Influence of Religion on Albanians During Different Stages of History

The paper aims to investigate the role and influence of religion on Albanians in all ethnic areas, as well as show the role and influence that religions have had on the Albanian nation since their appearance, especially the influence they have today. In this research, authors reiterate that religious tolerance, cultivated for centuries, has now gone beyond acceptance and tolerance, and has advanced in religious harmony and coexistence, which is often taken as an example by other peoples. However, the religious conversions taking place within the ethnic Albanian territories, it is assumed to be a consequence of the economic situation and the decline in the level of education. Still, there are also some other reasons because many circles are trying to introduce disunity and division among the Albanians. the religious aspect, among others, an absurd accusation by the Special Court of The Hague, which at one point mentions the mistreatment and torture caused by the KLA fighters against Catholics, forgetting the fact that within the KLA there were many fighters of the faith Christians, who have never been identified as such, therefore this absurd decision to treat Catholics as a special category within the Albanian nation, which for us as a nation, is as insulting as it is tendentious and unacceptable. In this research, in addition to other research methods, we created a survey on the Google platform, trying to include citizens of all ages, ethnicities, and religions, because only in this way would the picture be more complete.

Why Did Albanians Protect Jews during the Holocaust?

Abstract The fact that some Albanians protected Jews during the Holocaust has long been known in Albania and has become increasingly well known in the West since Israel recognized sixty-five Muslim Albanians as Righteous Gentiles. Albanian historians ignored these facts until the fall of communism, and Westerners portrayed Albanian helpers of Jews as generalized mythical Muslims with a medieval culture in an obscure pro-Semitic European oasis rather than as individuals making a variety of choices. This research sheds light on the ideological limitations pervasive in existing Albanian historical scholarship and then draws on twenty-seven new oral history interviews with families who saved Jews to outline a range of reasons that Albanians of various religions, political backgrounds, and social statuses took Jews into their care between 1942 and 1945. Going beyond reductionist nationalist explanations, we see that it was a combination of geographically differentiated socio-cultural, political, economic, and war-specific factors that led to Jews finding safe haven in some areas populated by ethnic Albanians during World War Two.

Examining beliefs about reconciliation and social integration in Kosovo: Testing effects of interethnic contact and differences in perspective among ethnic Albanians and Serbs

AbstractAcross two studies, this research examined belief that reconciliation is necessary, belief that reconciliation is possible and belief in the value of social integration and willingness to integrate socially among Kosovar Albanians and Kosovar Serbs. Study 1 assessed these beliefs through a general population survey distributed via social media, whereas Study 2 assessed them before and after Kosovar youth participated in a program encouraging cross‐ethnic contact. Results show that these beliefs are modestly correlated and they show significant differences across ethnic groups. As the ethnic minority in Kosovo, Serbs are less likely to believe that reconciliation is possible and less willing to integrate socially than Kosovar Albanians. Moreover, across both studies, contact experience is a significant predictor of reconciliation beliefs regardless of ethnicity. Study 2 revealed that Kosovar youth can become more likely to believe that reconciliation is possible and social integration is valuable through participating in a cross‐ethnic contact program.

How Do Children Learn Social Categorization and Intergroup Attitudes When They Grow Up in Divided Contexts?

This paper explores how group preferences develop among children living in the post-conflict context of Kosovo and how this development shapes children’s willingness to be close to their outgroup peers among the segregated majority (ethnic Albanian) and minority (ethnic Serb) members. The study was conducted in four ethnically divided primary schools, with 220 participants aged 6–10. Children played a series of games and tasks which measured ethnic ingroup preference, preference for the Kosovar flag, and willingness to be close to ethnic outgroup children. Children in this context where a new national Kosovar identity is developing following independence display very high ethnic ingroup preferences. Kosovar Serb children showed low willingness to engage with outgroup members and remained constant with age, while Kosovar Albanian children’s willingness to engage with the outgroup was present among younger children but diminished with age. Results add to the literature on the underlying process by which identity develops among segregated majority and minority who have little or no opportunities to interact. Lack of intergroup contact hinders the development of more positive intergroup relations. To build a peaceful coexistence, programs which connect the segregated schools and facilitate intergroup contact, especially among the younger age groups, are recommended.

Humanitarian Intervention And Just War Theory: Case of Kosovo

The Kosovo crisis occurred from February 1998 until 1999 in the former Yugoslavia. This conflict started when ethnic Albanians opposed ethnic Serbians and the Yugoslav government in Kosovo. International reactions to the upsurge of the Kosovo crisis have been prompt because of its urgency. Ethnic cleansing became good considering the international response. The intervention was carried out by NATO in the Kosovo crisis. The intervention by NATO raises speculation about humanitarian intervention during the crisis and whether it is justifiable or vice versa. According to the principle of Just War Theory, human intervention can be justified by logical explanations. NATO interventions in the Kosovo crisis are the appropriate instance to describe these situations by Just War Theory.

Emigration of the Kosovo Albanians into Turkey during the 1950s

Based on relevant historiographic literature and unpublished archival documents the paper examines the scope of emigration of ethnic Albanians to Turkey during the 1950s and if the process was voluntary or not. Various factors contributing to desire to emigrate are also examined.

Becoming Respectable: Material, Symbolic and Emotional Aspects of Hospital Cleaning Work

Abstract This essay explores the working experiences of twenty-four women cleaners in two public hospitals in Athens, Greece. The participants are Albanian and ethnic Greek Albanian. It focuses on the intersectionalities of gender, ethnicity and class, drawing from ethnographic research during the period 2017–2018 in two hospital sites, which included interviews and observations with women migrant workers. The essay is structured around two key research questions: how both groups of migrant women cleaners experienced material, emotional and symbolic aspects of cleaning at the hospital, mobilising their gendered and ethnicised bodies at work; and how both groups narrated their experiences of their embodied gendered, ethnicised and classed selves, on individual as well as collective levels, to give meaning, to create a process of valuation and to construct formations of respectability. I reveal how the process of cleaning is caught between material, symbolic, emotional and embodied aspects, with migrant women cleaners forming ways of feeling respectable.

Traditional foraging in Southern Italy and Mesopotamia: The inextricable links among human ecology, food heritage, and taste

<h2>Abstract</h2> In recent years, research concerning local perceptions and uses of wild food plants, and that which is nowadays called "foraging", has increased in the Mediterranean and Near East. Most of these works, however, mainly focused on simple lists of food plant uses and did not thoroughly address the issue of cross-cultural comparison, and therefore they could not explore possible links between foraging and both human ecology and taste. This talk will reflect upon 20 years of ethnobotanical field studies conducted in the Mediterranean and Near Est, specifically focusing on the perceptions and categorizations of wild vegetables and their embeddedness in the local ecology and taste perceptions. Drawn from case studies conducted in Southern Italy (among ethnic Albanians) and in Northern Iraq (among Kurds, Assyrians, and Yezidis), profound interconnections between ecology and foraged species, as well as between the diverse human ecology of the foraged wild vegetables and their different perceived tastes, will be shown. The presentation suggests that the human ecology of local populations, i.e. their traditional strategies of plant food procurement, has not only influenced the typology of foraged wild vegetables, but also the prevalence of certain tastes. Moreover, the talk will briefly address promising future research trajectories at the crossroads between ethnobotany and cognitive and sensory sciences.

Communist authority and the Catholic Church in the fight for influence on Albanian community in socialist Montenegro (1945–1955)

ABSTRACT The paper analyzes the activities of the Catholic Church in the regions of Montenegro inhabited by the population of ethnic Albanians, from 1945 to 1955. In the preparation of the paper, we have predominantly used relevant historical sources stored in the State Archives of Montenegro and relevant literature, which give various information about the subject of the Catholic Church. The aim of this paper is to point out that in the first decade of socialist rule in Montenegro, the Catholic Church was active among the Albanian population, not allowing the Communist Party to question its prestige in the area, and achieve significant influence among Albanians of the Catholic faith.

Ethnic representational priorities and political engagement in deeply divided societies

AbstractWhen do individuals in deeply divided societies participate in political activities aimed at increasing ethnic representation in cabinet ministries? I develop a cost–benefit framework to explain political engagement based on individuals' ethnic group membership and preferences for descriptive and substantive representation in cabinet ministries. Drawing on an original survey in North Macedonia, I find that ethnic Macedonians who value substantive representation are more likely to attend public meetings compared to Macedonians who value descriptive representation but that the opposite is true for ethnic Albanians. I also consider how willingness to attend public meetings changes when individuals value both descriptive and substantive representation. The results suggest that policy makers cannot assume that all members of the public have the same motivations for arguing for increased representation.

Beyond the label: Exploring the role of ethnicity in the Kosovo conflict

AbstractThe Kosovo War (1998–1999) that played out between ethnic Albanians and Serbs in the former Yugoslavia is often portrayed as an ethnic conflict because it involved different ethnic groups in confrontation with each other. This characteristic presupposes that ethnicity played an important role in the Kosovo conflict, but is that actually the case? To explore this question, the experience of Albanians in Kosovo is compared with that of Hungarians in Vojvodina. The latter formed the second largest minority in Serbia, behind Albanians, and their institutional and legal position greatly paralleled that of Kosovar Albanians. Despite this, Hungarians experienced far less conflict with the Serbian majority than did their Albanian counterparts.

Citizen Responses to Ethnic Representation

Can country leaders improve citizens’ ethnic outgroup views by changing ethnic representation in government? Years of pressure from the international community calling for leaders to make particularly their cabinets more ethnically representative seems to suggest that ethnic representation—conceptualized as descriptive and substantive representation and ministerial cooperation—is key to improving citizens’ outgroup views. I argue that increasing ethnic representation influences majority and minority citizens differently; minority citizens’ outgroup views will become more favorable, while majority citizens’ views will worsen. Using a pre-registered vignette experiment with ethnic Albanians and Macedonians in North Macedonia, I show that ethnic representation does not provide the improvements in outgroup relations that many have hoped. Both groups’ affect toward and perceptions of the cabinet change somewhat, but increasing ethnic representation does not improve overall outgroup attitudes. These results suggest that ethnic representation alone does not lead to more productive interethnic relationships.

Ethnic trust, minority status, and public goods in post-conflict societies

This study considers how ethnic trust and minority status can impact the ability of ethnic groups to pursue cooperative public goods, focusing on groups with a history of conflict and lingering hostility. A public good experiment between ethnic Albanians and Serbs in postwar Kosovo reveals that subjects contribute far more to a mutually beneficial public good when they are part of an experimentally induced coethnic majority. However, when in the minority, subjects not only underinvest, but many actively divest entirely, privatizing the public good. Majority/minority status also has wide-ranging implications for how individuals relate to real-world public goods and the institutions of government that provide them. Compared to majority Albanians, survey data indicate how minority Serbs in Kosovo express greater safety and security concerns, feel more politically, socially, and economically excluded, are more dissatisfied with civil liberties and human rights protections, and are less likely to participate politically or pay taxes to support public goods. Conflict-related victimization and distrust of out-groups are strong predictors of these minority group attitudes and behaviors. This suggests a mechanism for how conflict amplifies out-group distrust, increasing parochial bias in public good commitments, especially among minorities who are wary of exploitation at the hands of an out-group majority. To restore trust, this study finds that institutional trust and intergroup contact are important to bridging ethnic divides that inhibit public good cooperation.

Ethnicity and Subjective Well-being in the Republic of North Macedonia

ABSTRACT This paper examines the nature of inter-ethnic relations in North Macedonia drawing on the 2008 European Quality of Life Survey. Ceteris paribus, the self-declared level of subjective well-being is smaller among ethnic Albanians than among Macedonians. In the presence of relative income variables, subjective well-being among both ethnic groups is not significantly associated with their absolute income. The subjective well-being of ethnic Albanians is significantly associated with their income relative to Macedonians. However, the subjective well-being of Macedonians is not affected by income relative to ethnic Albanians. The results suggest that measures are needed to reduce income inequality between ethnic groups.

Современная семья. Антропогенетические особенности репродуктивных процессов в популяциях малой и средней численности*

The report presents a comparative analysis of anthropogenetic parameters in the populations of ethnic Greeks and Albanians of the Azov region, which contrast with the Pamirs and Kyrgyzs of the Pamir Mountains. In the highland Pamir populations of the Pastuf and Khuf (Rushan district of Gorno-Badakhshan Administrative Division (GBAD) of Tajikistan) and the Kyrgyzs of Murghab (Murghab district of GBAD), the main factors of microevolutionary changes are environmental conditions along with the influence of ethnic and confessional attitudes and cultural traditions. The pattern of reproduction is natural with unregulated fertility. A decrease in fertility is associated with the height of populations’ habitats above sea level. The populations of Azov – Krasnaya Polyana (ethnic Greeks speaking Rumeíka), Starolaspe (Tatar-speaking Greeks), and compactly populated Albanians of Devninskoye and Georgievka settlements underwent a demographic transition to the family planning system and strict artificial birth control. Populations surrounded by other ethnic groups have an urbanized pattern of reproduction not typical for groups of small and medium size. This population suffers from the effect of abrupt “aging”, with a small proportion of pre-reproductive age and a significant number of post-reproductive cohorts. Reproductive rates are low and the number is supported by migrations from other groups. The anthropogenetic analysis demonstrated that reproduction processes in populations depend on a set of biological and social factors, geographical conditions and environment.

Religion in census, the 2011 Albania experience and its flaws

The sensitive topic of religion in the Albanian 2011 census and the coming one is the focus of this study. The country majority is composed of ethnic Albanians, sharing the same nationality; blood, language, culture, territory while religion differs. It was found a flaw in categorization under the category ‘Bektashi’, one of the Albanian traditional divisions historically a sub-category of ‘Islam’. Placing it as a separate category, while the main body category ‘Islam’ is the other option creates fogginess for the inquired person. Checking on ‘Islam’ excludes s/he from the possibility to choose ‘Bektashi’ and vice versa. Data retrieved from the official INSTAT Albania online web atlas and reorganized second study objectives. Maps show a shift from traditional religious categories, Muslim, Catholic, Orthodox and Bektashi with clear geographical connotations. Traditional religious nominations range from the lowest loss of 2.9% to 56.5%. With a range 53.6%, and mean and standard deviation 23.6±13.3%, change is statistically significant p&lt;0.001. The whole country records a fidelity to traditional categories of 75.6%. The quest of separation from the main body of a religious affiliation is a special case of separation because the sub-division always pretends to save the original message, not bringing a novelty. The case of the Albanian religious census categories superposition constitutes a technical error that needs revision.

Higher Education in Emergencies: The Case of Consociational North Macedonia

Eighteen years after the end of 2001 conflict between ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians, North Macedonia remains a country deeply polarized along ethno-national lines with implications for the maintenance of peace. The peace-building policies introduced by the Ohrid Framework Agreement (OFA) based on a consociational model of power-sharing have accommodated the demands of ethnic Albanians, including the right of access to higher education (HE) in the mother-tongue which represented one of the root-causes in the escalation of the 2001 conflict. The OFA’s exclusive focus on access and availability through state funding for higher education in the Albanian language has however favored a process of ethnicization of the tertiary sector. This paper seeks to investigate the unintended consequences of the OFA-induced ethnic self-ghettoisation within the public higher education system and, by the same token, it critiques the OFA’s lack of mechanisms to reach across the ethnic divide through the lenses of a rights-based approach to education. It ultimately argues that without a strong governmental commitment to deethnicize education by transcending the OFA’s intrinsic limits, power-sharing remains permeable to political manipulation which critically hampers social transformation and increases the probability of inter-ethnic tension, further weakening the peace process.

Outreach and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers: A Civil Society Practitioner’s Perspective

The establishment of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (ksc) was not without its controversies, including that there seems to be a grain of truth in the charge that the court will investigate, prosecute and convict only ethnic Albanians, given apparent jurisdictional limitations of the ksc. Since perceptions are shaped by information, this article examines the ksc’s Outreach Program based on the four pillars of successful outreach identified through examining experiences in other international courts and tribunals: 1) Early outreach; 2) Transparency; 3) Engagement with relevant actors in Kosovo and the region; and 4) Physical presence in Kosovo. The article then explores the interaction between its Outreach Program and its jurisdictional set-up. The article hypothesises that although the performance of the ksc Outreach Program has learnt lessons from past tribunals, the jurisdictional set-up of the ksc poses challenges for the Outreach Program to convey an effective narrative of neutrality.