GENDER, ETHNICITY, AND LANDED PROPERTY IN ALBANIA

Methods used to privatize state property attest to Albania's commitment to a democratic and egalitarian society: farmland was distributed to the households working on the ex-collectives and state farms, and housing was sold at a nominal price to the families occupying it. There are social issues, however, that influence not only the potential role of property ownership in the development of a democratic society, but also the true workability of some persons' political and economic opportunities. This paper examines two of these social issues: gender and ethnicity. Assuming that property ownership is a necessary condition for establishing a democratic market economy, the potential denial to exercise those rights for a significant proportion of the population on the basis of gender or ethnicity could undermine Albania's attempts to establish a democratic society and dynamic market economy based on equal opportunity.Right of property -- Social aspects -- Albania, Customary law -- Albania, Land tenure -- Social aspects -- Albania, Women -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Albania, Ethnic groups -- Albania, Women farmers -- Albania, Albania -- Social conditions, Labor and Human Capital, Land Economics/Use,

The Ottoman State and Semi-Nomadic Groups Along The Ottoman Danubian Serhad (Frontier Zone) In The Late 15^th and The First Half of The 16^th Centuries: Challenges and Policies

The main subject of this article is the relationship between the Ottoman state and semi-nomadic groups in the Ottoman Danubian frontier zone (serhad) in the late 15th and the first half of the 16th century. Taking the two extremities of the Danubian frontier zone — the provinces of Smederevo in Serbia and Silistre in the northeastern Balkans — as case studies, the article compares the ways in which the Ottoman state dealt with semi-nomadic Vlachs at one end of the frontier zone and Turcoman yürüks (and related groups) at the other. Placing the subject in the broader context of the historical development of the Danubian frontier zone, the author analyzes the Ottoman state’s changing policies toward these two groups. Taking into account the largely different historical legacies and demographic make-ups, the article analyzes the many commonalities (as well as some important differences) in the way the Ottoman government integrated such groups in its administrative structure. It highlights the process in which such semi-nomadic groups, traditionally utilized by the Ottoman state as auxiliary soldiers, were gradually “tamed“ by the state in the course of the 16th century, becoming gradually sedentarized and losing their privileged status

Heritage without Heirs? : tangible and religious cultural heritage of the Vlach minority in Europe in the context of an interdisciplinary research project : (contribution to the subject)

The revival of themes concerning UNESCO cultural heritage, which emerged at the end of the 20th century, poses many questions in reference to the need, essence, and discourse on the subject as well as are-as beyond it. One of these questions seems to be the cultural heritage of nationals communities in Europe, which were doomed to assimilation, persecution or even oblivion in the second part of the 20th century. In recent times, the critical research trend on cultural heritage has pointed out that the essence of heritage is a choice which transforms cultural achievements into “our heritage” – the areas of culture that we choose and often protect and pass on to the next generations. However, beyond “our protection,” there is a realm of “oblivion” which may include “alien” tangible and intangible objects about which we do not care, which do not matter to us and which we do not want to pass on to our heirs. It is a space of all forms of “our” degradation and marginalization of an “alien legacy,” a space where we often let this legacy become forgotten. It can be stated that the example of the Vlachs perfectly illustrates the complex processes related to cultures which were overwhelmingly subjugated by their neighbours and lost the fight. A neighbour, usually representing the culture of the majority, was stronger culturally, economically, politically and often militarily, too. The following article focuses on the phenomena which classical anthropology used to inspect, claiming that its role is to protect what is fading into oblivion. Thus, the analysis of the Vlach culture presented herein refers to a much wider reflection, which is a synergy of ethnography, ethnology and cultural anthropology, and to the critical studies on heritage which are emerging in Poland. This presentation will analyse the principal problems concerning research on the cultural heritage of displaced communities in Europe from the perspective of the Vlach minority. Based on the field research conducted in several countries of Europe (e.g. Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia and Poland), I will present the main classification of the Vlach tangible heritage with special attention paid to the most important cultural monuments, including religious building developments (churches, icons, small religious architecture). I will portray the difficulties found in protecting this heritage and the role of cultural institutions in its preservation and exposition

Better than Muslims, not as good as Greeks. Emigration as experienced and imagined by the Albanian Christians of Lunxhëri

Lunxhëria is located in southern Albania, near the Greek border, in the district of Gjirokastër. Its population is mainly Christian Orthodox and Albanian-speaking, and notwithstanding its strong claims for Albanian identity, it has close links with the Greek minority of Albanian (Dropull and Pogon), most of all through marriage alliances. The area experienced from the 19th century until the Second World War emigration towards Istanbul, Greece and America, while its inhabitants have masively emigrated to Greece in the 1990s. In the meantime, Arumanians settled in most of the villages, and Muslim Labes in some of them, bringing deep transformations into local society. Based on intensive fieldwork research in Lunxhëria, this paper addresses the relationship between local perceptions and categorisations on the one hand (between Albanianness and Greekness, Muslims and Christians, Albanians and Arumanians, Lunxhotes and Labes, etc.), and the present development of identity and migration strategies on the other hand

'Quadratic Nexus' and the Process of Democratization and State-Building in Albania and Kosovo:A Comparison

<jats:p>This paper examines the interplay between internal and external actors in the process of democratization and state-building in Albania and Kosovo. It does so by using David J. Smith's “quadratic nexus” that links Brubaker's “triadic nexus” – nationalizing states, national minorities and external national homelands – to the institutions of an ascendant and expansive “Euro-Atlantic space”. The main argument of this paper is twofold. First, it argues the nexus remains a useful framework in the study of state-and nation-building provided that it moves beyond the “civic vs. ethnic” dichotomy. Today, many states with a mixture of civic and multi-ethnic elements involve this relational nexus. Second, while comparing Albania and Kosovo, this paper argues that all the four elements of the nexus have a different impact on the process of state- and nation-building and their relationship is more conflictual in Kosovo than in Albania.</jats:p

Paleo-Balkan and Slavic Contributions to the Genetic Pool of Moldavians

Moldova has a rich historical and cultural heritage, which may be reflected in the current genetic makeup of its population. To date, no comprehensive studies exist about the population genetic structure of modern Moldavians. To bridge this gap with respect to paternal lineages, we analyzed 37 binary and 17 multiallelic (STRs) polymorphisms on the non-recombining portion of the Y chromosome in 125 Moldavian males. In addition, 53 Ukrainians from eastern Moldova and 54 Romanians from the neighboring eastern Romania were typed using the same set of markers. In Moldavians, 19 Y chromosome haplogroups were identified, the most common being I-M423 (20.8%), R-M17* (17.6%), R-M458 (12.8%), E-v13 (8.8%), RM269* and R-M412* (both 7.2%). In Romanians, 14 haplogroups were found including I-M423 (40.7%), R-M17* (16.7%), RM405 (7.4%), E-v13 and R-M412* (both 5.6%). In Ukrainians, 13 haplogroups were identified including R-M17 (34.0%), I-M423 (20.8%), R-M269* (9.4%), N-M178, R-M458 and R-M73 (each 5.7%). Our results show that a significant majority of the Moldavian paternal gene pool belongs to eastern/central European and Balkan/eastern Mediterranean Y lineages. Phylogenetic and AMOVA analyses based on Y-STR loci also revealed that Moldavians are close to both eastern/central European and Balkan-Carpathian populations. The data correlate well with historical accounts and geographical location of the region and thus allow to hypothesize that extant Moldavian paternal genetic lineages arose from extensive recent admixture between genetically autochthonous populations of the Balkan-Carpathian zone and neighboring Slavic group

Better than Muslims, not as good as Greeks. Emigration as experienced and imagined by the Albanian Christians of Lunxhëri

Lunxhëria is located in southern Albania, near the Greek border, in the district of Gjirokastër. Its population is mainly Christian Orthodox and Albanian-speaking, and notwithstanding its strong claims for Albanian identity, it has close links with the Greek minority of Albanian (Dropull and Pogon), most of all through marriage alliances. The area experienced from the 19th century until the Second World War emigration towards Istanbul, Greece and America, while its inhabitants have masively emigrated to Greece in the 1990s. In the meantime, Arumanians settled in most of the villages, and Muslim Labes in some of them, bringing deep transformations into local society. Based on intensive fieldwork research in Lunxhëria, this paper addresses the relationship between local perceptions and categorisations on the one hand (between Albanianness and Greekness, Muslims and Christians, Albanians and Arumanians, Lunxhotes and Labes, etc.), and the present development of identity and migration strategies on the other hand

When in the Balkans, Do as the Romans Do : —Or Why the Present is the Wrong Key to the Past

Non peer reviewe

Comparative Analysis of the Situation of Ethnic Minorities in Kosovo and the Republic of North Macedonia

This paper aims at discussing the matter of the national minorities in Kosovo and the Republic of North Macedonia. Role, position and the rights of the national minorities are the key focus of this study. While the Balkan countries and some European countries have had issues with recognizing and supporting the different ethnic communities living within their borders, Kosovo and the Republic of North Macedonia have, since their independence, recognized the existence of different communities as a given fact. Since gaining independence, they have constitutionally guaranteed all citizens freedom of association for the ‘accomplishment and protection of their political, economic, social, cultural and other rights and beliefs. Being a geographical part of the Western Balkans, these two countries have been delayed in the European integration process even though their peoples and governments aspire to become part of the European Union. I think that national minorities have an important role in this process because, in the past, these two states have been characterized by a lack of respecting the rights of national minorities. For this reason, both countries have faced a lack of internal stability and conflict with each other as a result of the lack of respect for the rights of respective national minorities