Dealbanisation

Dealbanisation (Albanian: de-shqiptarizim) is a term used in historiographical and political discourse as the process of denationalisation of Albanians which was initiated by the Kingdom of Serbia after the annexation of Kosovo in 1912.^[1] The process continued to 1918 and was adopted by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes against the Albanian populations of Kosovo between 1918 and 1938.^[2] The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes resisted the Kachak movement and used Serbo-Montenegrin colonisers in an attempt to "de-albanize" areas inhabited by Albanians.^[3] There is an integration process among Albanian immigrants in Greece that can be perhaps termed as 'de-albanisation'.^[4]

During the disintegration of Yugoslavia, the term entered again in political discourse.^[5] In 1989, Rugova opposed the "de-albanization" of Kosovo.^[6] In 1992, the Serbian Radical Party recommended that Kosovo be "de-albanized".^[7] After the riots in Kosovo, Slobodan Milošević implemented a policy of "dealbanization" similar to those in 1918.^[8]^[9] In political discourse in Serbia, the call for dealbanizacija as it became an unrealistic goal after the Kosovo War gave way to a more pragmatic - as viewed from the Serbian perspective - call for federalizacija (the political attempt to keep Kosovo Albanians within a Serbia with broad autonomy) across the political spectrum.^[10]

In Albanian historiography the term is also used in order to refer to the process of "dealbanization" of Albanian historical figures in Balkan historiography.^[11]

In post-Yugoslav countries with significant Albanian minorities, the term is used in a form which alludes to the ethnic slur Šiptar, dešiptarizacija, as a nationalist slogan directed against Albanian communities. The ultras of FK Vardar, one of the biggest clubs in North Macedonia have frequently unveiled a banner with the call for dešiptarizacija during the club's football matches. In 2017, such an incident was followed by an attack against Albanian youngsters who were walking outside the stadium.^[12]

References

^ Duclos, Nathalie (2008). Une société multiethnique au Kosovo ? Heurts et malheurs du protectorat international face à l'antagonisme des mémoires serbe et albanaise (Ainsi les Serbes sont-ils considérés comme des usurpateurs, voire des occupants, en particulier lorsque les politiques serbes se font autoritaires. Ce fut notamment le cas après la chute de l’Empire Ottoman et la proclamation du Royaume des Serbes, des Croates et des Slovènes, lorsque cet État centraliste mit en oeuvre au Kosovo une politique de "désalbanisation". (So Serbs are seen as usurpers, even occupiers, especially when Serbian policies are authoritarian. This was particularly the case after the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the proclamation of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, when this centralist state implemented in Kosovo a policy of "desalbanization".) ed.). p. 138.
^ Le Kosovo, un Etat sans Etat. Chronologie et repères historiques (in French) (Encore sous la coupe de l’Empire ottoman en 1912, le Kosovo est « rendu » à la Serbie à la suite des deux guerres balkaniques de 1912 et 1913. L’Albanie obtient quant à elle son indépendance, mais selon des frontières qui laissent 60% des Albanais en dehors de l’Albanie. À la suite de la Première Guerre mondiale, se créée le Royaume des Serbes, Croates et Slovènes (les peuples slaves des Balkans). Chassés de la Serbie et constraints de se réfugier au Kosovo lors de l’indépendance de 1978, les Albanais seront une nouvelle fois invités à quitter les lieux en raison d’une politique de « désalbanisation » du Royaume des Slaves. ed.). 25 June 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
^ Janjić, Dušan; Maliqi, Shkëlzen (1994). "Sukob ili dijalog: Srpsko-albanski odnosi i integracija Balkana : zbornik radova". Evropski Građanski Centar Za Rešavanje Konflikata: 251.
^ Péchoux, Pierre-Yves (2003). "La frontière albanaise de la Grèce : ségrégation nationalitaire ou complémentarité balkanique (The albanian border of Greece : from ethnic segregation to regional complementing)". Bulletin de l'Association de Géographes Français. 80 (2) (Finally, several seem already fixed, in the course of integration, perhaps of "desalbanization": installed in family, they rent modest accommodation, send their children to school, practice Greek well, have an unmistakable professional qualification or more, because they are often multi-active: gardener, ironer, diver, assistant cook ... depending on their employers and the moments of their long day, like this household of Wallachian origin encountered in the fall of 2001 in Parga and who does not plan to return to southern Albania. (Enfin, plusieurs semblent déjà fixés, en cours d'intégration, peut être de «désalbanisation»: installés en famille, ils louent des logements modestes, envoient leurs enfants à l'école, pratiquent bien le grec, disposent d'une qualification professionnelle indubitable ou de plusieurs, car ils sont souvent pluriactifs : jardinier, repasseuse, plongeur, aide cuisinière... suivant leurs employeurs et les moments de leur longue journée, à l'instar de ce ménage d'origine valaque rencontré à l'automne 2001 à Parga et qui n'envisage pas de retourner en Albanie méridionale.) ed.): 172. doi:10.3406/bagf.2003.2322. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
^ Roux, Michel (1992). Les Albanais en Yougoslavie: Minorité nationale, territoire et développement. Les Editions de la MSH. ISBN 2735104540.
^ Troebst, Stefan (1998). Conflict in Kosovo: Failure of Prevention?: An Analytical Documentation, 1992 - 1998. European Centre for Minority Issues. p. 8. ISBN 978-3-88242-301-3. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
^ Roux, Michelle (1999). 2 - Pourquoi les Serbes considèrent-ils le Kosovo comme le berceau de leur nation, alors que les Albanais y sont majoritaires ?. Sur le vif (In the meantime, the Serbian Radical Party, in its 1992 program, had recommended the desalbanization of border regions, and the band leader ... ed.). La Découverte. pp. 17–26. ISBN 978-2-7071-3138-6. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
^ LÉCRIVAIN, MEMBRE DE UN'ESSEC, JEAN-SAMUEL (2013). "Kosovo : la violence s'invite aux élections locales". Le Journal International - Archives (in French). No. Ironie tragique de l’histoire alors qu’à l’issue de la Première Guerre mondiale, le Royaume des Serbes, des Croates et des Slovènes s’était lancé dans une intense « désalbanisation » de la région. Tragically ironic in history when, after the First World War, the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes embarked on an intense "desalbanization" of the region. Le Journal International. Le Journal International. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
^ Compte rendu. Conseil de l'Europe : assemblée parlementaire : des débats: Séances 9 á 16 (in French). Council of Europe. 1999. p. 436. ISBN 978-92-871-4038-8. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
^ Hajrullahu, Arben (2007). Dugoročni mir na Balkanu kroz integracije u EU (PDF). Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. p. 191. ISBN 978-9951-8871-4-4.
^ Ekkehard, Kraft (2009). Le père fissuré des Albanais (in French) (Cette prétendue « désalbanisation » du père de Skanderbeg fut d'ailleurs le principal thème du débat sur Internet. Schmitt ne conteste pourtant à aucun moment ... (This so-called "desalbanization" of Skanderbeg's father was, moreover, the main theme of the debate on the Internet. Schmitt does not dispute at any time ...) ed.). Retrieved 25 April 2020.
^ "Pasi kërkuan "deshqiptarizim", Komitët tentuan edhe ti rrahin të rinjtë shqiptar". Fol Media Agency. 26 February 2017.