From a purely ethnic point of view, Albania is a fairly homogeneous country. In fact, ethnic Albanians constitute the absolute majority of the population, about 98 % of the total of about 2.8 million people. Their distinguishing feature is, first and foremost, the Albanian language, an Indo-European language but of a branch isolated from the others (unlike Neo-Latin or Germanic languages, for example). The origins of the Albanian language are disputed, although it is believed to derive from Illyrian or Old Thracian.
A typical feature of Albanian is that it is divided into two main variants that have the same dignity (at least they used to), similar in this to Norwegian (whose two variants, Bokmål and Nynorsk, are co-official in Norway).
In the case of Albanian, we have Tosk (in the south) and Guego (in northern Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia and parts of Montenegro). There are considerable differences between Tosk and Gheg, especially in phonetics, but also in morphology and syntax.
Forced adoption of the language
As mentioned in the previous article, the communist regime of Enver Hoxha (which lasted from 1944 to 1985), with its delirium of omnipotence and omnipresence in all aspects of Albanian life, applied a forced linguistic "standardization", in order to culturally standardize the country, and imposed the Tosk variant for the development of a "standard" Albanian language ("shqipja standarde"). It was also chosen because Hoxha was from Gjirokastra, in the south, an area where this variant is spoken, and the Communist Party had its historical and cultural bases in the south.
Obviously, the forced adoption of a language based on the variant of one part of the population penalized the other part and fueled divisions and tensions within the nation, also at the religious level (e.g., Orthodox Christians are concentrated in the south, Catholics in the north, etc.).
Tosk is also the variant spoken by the Albanians of Italy (called "arbëreshë" in arbërisht, the language of the Italo-Albanians), a community established in the south of the peninsula between the 15th and 18th centuries, after the Ottoman invasion of the Balkans. However, this language has archaic features that are no longer found in modern Albanian, as well as having been heavily influenced by Italian and southern Italian dialects. "Arbërisht" is recognized and protected in Italy as a minority language. Albanians also represent 92.9 % of the population of Kosovo (a state with limited recognition, claimed by Serbia as part of its territory), almost 9 % of the population of the Republic of Montenegro and 25 % of North Macedonia.
Ethnic minorities in Albania
The most important ethnic minority present in Albania are the Greeks, who represent about 2 % of the population. They are concentrated mainly in the south of the country, especially in the regions of Gjirokastra and Saranda, near the Greek border. They are a community with very ancient origins, dating back to the time of the Greek colonies on the Ionian coast. To this day, the Albanian Greeks enjoy a certain degree of cultural and linguistic autonomy, despite having been at the center of various tensions with Greece, especially during the years of the Hoxha regime, which suppressed all forms of cultural, linguistic and religious autonomy.
Other minorities are the Macedonians (Slavic-speaking, related to Bulgarian), about 0.2 % of the population, in the southeast of the country (near the border with North Macedonia); Armenians (who speak a neo-Latin language very similar to Romanian and are said to be descended from the Romance, i.e. Latinized, populations of the area), in the southern mountains (between a few thousand and 30 thousand individuals); Gypsies (between 10 and 100 thousand) who, as in other European countries, live in often precarious economic and social conditions.
The religion of the Albanians is "Albanianness".
There is a saying in Albania: "the religion of the Albanians is 'Albanianness'" ("Feja e shqiptarit është shqiptaria"). This is because the feeling of belonging to an ethnic, rather than religious, group is very strong in the country, and the culture of tolerance and peaceful coexistence between the different communities is also highly developed, although in the Ottoman era there was a progressive Islamization followed by the suppression of the right to religious practice under the communist regime, particularly from 1967, which imposed state atheism until 1991. After that date, religious practice resumed, but society remained essentially secular.
Islam
Islam is the most widespread religion in Albania, with about 58.8 % of the population confessing to being Muslim (according to the 2011 census, the latest official census available). The majority of Muslims are Sunni (about 56.7 % of Albanians), mostly in the center and south of the country.
There is also a Bektashi Shiite minority. The Bektashi are part of a Shiite Sufi current (or confraternity) and represent between 2 % and 5 % of the population, making them a small minority; however, their community (whose doctrine developed in the 13th century in Anatolia and then spread to the Balkans) has such important historical and cultural roots in Albania that several Albanian political leaders are or were Bektashi (including Enver Hoxha himself, who, however, instituted a system of at least 31 lagers, according to a 1991 Amnesty International report, intended for opponents and members of religious orders, i.e. Catholic and Orthodox priests, imams....).
The Bektashi community is a particular example of peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance, both fostered by its doctrine, and has played an important role in maintaining a balance between the country's different faiths.
During the Ottoman domination, the Bektashis were linked to the janissaries, the elite troops of the Sublime Porte but, with the arrival of Atatürk, Bektashism was banned in Turkey (1925) and its members were forced to leave the country, finding refuge in Albania, with the support of the local monarch of the time, Zog I.
In fact, it was in Tirana that the world spiritual center bektashi (Tekke) was moved and, in the Balkan country, the Sufi brotherhood continued to promote values of openness and interreligious dialogue, finding fertile ground because Albania had never developed a national identity based on belonging to one faith and not another and dialogue between different religions was already a well-tested reality.
In September 2024, Prime Minister Edi Rama (a Catholic by baptism, but an avowed agnostic) proposed the creation of a bektashi micro-state in Tirana (a sort of The Vatican 27-acre, miniature, religious and residential facilities) in order to provide the community with an autonomous space to practice their faith and preserve their traditions. In the current government's intentions, this would also be a way to ensure a greater voice and visibility for a more tolerant view of Islam. However, the proposal has drawn various criticisms, both because Albania is not actually an Islamic country, because the Bektashis do not even represent the majority of Muslims, and because, finally, secularism is a founding element of the society and culture of the small Balkan nation.
Christianity
Albanian Christians represent about 16.9 % of the population, divided between Catholics (10 %) and Orthodox (6.8 %).
Catholics are especially concentrated in the northern regions. The Catholic tradition in Albania has deep roots dating back to the time when the country was part of the Roman Empire. The Albanian Catholic Church is distinguished, in the words of the Archbishop of Tirana, Msgr. Arjan DodajIt has been a martyred Church throughout its history, persecuted in Roman times, in the Ottoman era and, above all, under the communist regime. It is very present in the life of the country, in constant harmony with the other religious confessions, with which it maintains a dialogue and cooperation based on common initiatives in various fields.
The Orthodox, on the other hand, are mainly concentrated in the southern regions, around the border with Greece. The Orthodox Church also has a long tradition (dating back to Byzantine times) and is linked to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, but was granted autocephaly (ecclesiastical autonomy) in 1937.
Cultural traditions
While less than 90 % of Albanians report having any religious affiliation, more than 10 % do not recognize themselves in any religion (it is one of the European countries with the highest percentage of atheists and agnostics). Many, therefore, describe themselves as primarily Albanian and then as adherents of a particular cult.
Among other things, a curiosity of this small country is the presence of an ancient code of customary laws, the Kanun (from the Arabic "qanun", law), transmitted orally for centuries but ordained in writing in the 15th century by Lekë Dukagjini, a 15th century leader and contemporary of Scanderbeg. The Kanun regulates various aspects of social and family life, addressing issues such as property rights, honor and revenge.
One of its key notions is the "besa", based on the word of honor and sacred hospitality, fundamental concepts in Albanian communities, especially rural ones. The Kanun also regulates blood revenge ("gjakmarrja"), giving precise rules on how and when to exercise it (if a clan member is killed, the family has the right and duty to take revenge, which often leads to long conflicts between rival clans, but the Kanun sets precise limits to the exercise of "gjakmarrja"), and protects the honor of women, who, however, have a subordinate role in traditional society.
In more recent years, the influence of the kanun has diminished, but it remains a fundamental part of Albanian cultural identity, especially in the northern mountainous regions, and common to all religious denominations.
"Communitas" in Albania
This could also be an example of "communitas," a concept that, according to anthropologist Victor Turner, represents a kind of "anti-structure," a condition in which individuals transcend religious divisions to form community ties through other elements. In the case of Albania, therefore, there are also cults, feasts and shrines shared by the different confessions. An example of this is St. George (think also of the importance of the name Scanderbeg, also George, or the fact that Muslims often identify St. George with Al-Khadr, the green prophet, who appears in Sura XVIII in aid of Moses, or also the Bektashi know him as Hidrellez, linked to spring and fertility). In fact, according to historian Frederick William Hasluck, there are "ambiguous shrines" that often symbolize a cultural and religious syncretism that transcends individual doctrines.
In conclusion, in a tiny territory like Albania, cultural and religious traditions of incredible richness coexist. That's why, as an Italian, I'm ashamed I haven't been there yet!
