Date of Graduation

Winter 12-15-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in International Studies (MAIS)

College/School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

International Studies

First Advisor

Filip Kovacevic

Second Advisor

Jeffrey Paller

Abstract

In today’s post-modern digital world, patriotism may not be as prevalent as in the past. In this thesis, my principal aim is to investigate to what extent Albanians, a nationality to which I belong, identify with a patriotic attitude toward Albania. I chose to focus not only on Albanians who live in the diaspora, like myself, but also on Albanians who live in Albania. I believe that to understand national pride to its fullest, you must study the attitudes of those who live in the country of origin as well as of those who live in the diaspora. Many people who live in a diaspora tend to resonate with an intense feeling of displacement. Through an examination of Albania’s communist era, religious tolerance, nationalism, patriotism, art and diasporic consciousness I want to see how Albanians embody a strong sense of patriotism for their homeland outside of its original borders. This thesis attempts to explore the attitudes, beliefs, and experiences of Albanians in Albania and the Albanian diaspora to discover why Albanians manifest such a strong sense of patriotism. To achieve this goal, I take both a historical and an ethnographic approach. I also compare the attitudes of the Albanian adults born during the communist era in Albania between the years of 1960 and 1977 and those of university students born during the post-communist era between the years of 1990 and 1997 to see if different generations have different views on the topic. In my research, I use interviews, surveys, and personal observation to address the general issue of how national and cultural belonging shapes the identity of all Albanians.

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