Historiography of Albania

Influence of Germany and Austria-Hungary

Theodor Anton Ippen, who would become a consul of Austria-Hungary in Scutari between 1897 and 1903, belonged to the group of Albanologists whose works were published through the state-financed institutes of Austria-Hungary. He participated in writing and disseminating the first history of Albania published on the Albanian language because he insisted that creating an Albanian national consciousness would be beneficial for the Dual Monarchy. Ippen struggled for the establishment of an independent nation-state of Albanians.

Modern Albanian historiography

There are two main sources of modern Albanian historiography: intellectuals from the Albanian National Awakening period and historians from the regime of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania. From 1878 onward, the national Awakening period galvanised Albanian intellectuals among some who emerged as the first modern Albanian scholars and they were preoccupied with overcoming linguistic and cultural differences between Albanian subgroups (Gegs and Tosks) and religious divisions (Muslim and Christians). At that time, these scholars lacked access to many primary sources to construct the idea that Albanians were descendants of Illyrians, while Greater Albania was not considered a priority. Compared with their Balkan counterparts, these Albanian historians were very moderate and alongside politicians mainly had the goal to get socio-political recognition and autonomy for Albanians under Ottoman rule. Two major historical works written by Albanians during this early phase of modern historiography within Albania are Athanase Gegaj's L'Albanie et l'Invasion turque au XVe siècle (1937) and Fan Noli's George Castrioti Scanderbeg (1405-1468) (1947), both written outside Albania.

Albanian socialist historiography (1945-1992)

Balanced approaches to history were not encouraged during the period between the end of World War II and the death of Enver Hohxa in 1985. During that time the communist regime attempted to instill a national consciousness through the scope of a teleological past based upon Illyrian descent, Skanderbeg's resistance to the Ottomans and the nationalist reawakening (Rilindja) of the 19th and early 20th centuries. These themes and concepts of history have still continued within a post communist environment modified and adopted to fit contemporary Albania's aspirations regarding Europe. Of Stalinist Albania, Bernd Jürgen Fischer stated that it produced good historians though not always good history. There were two main notable groups of Albanian historians in that period:

1. Military historians: Ndreci Plasari and Shyqri Ballvora
2. Political historians: Alex Buda, Stefanaq Pollo, Arben Puto and Luan Omari.

Alex Buda, who also became a president of the Academy of Sciences of Albania, is sometimes considered as a founder of the Albanian post WWII historiography. Buda belonged to a small group of intellectuals allowed by the Albanian communist regime to have access to foreign literature in order to use them to prepare new ideological and theoretical directives for the rest of their colleagues.

When Albanian socialist historiography dealt with people, it tended to see things black and white. The legacy of understanding history through such dichotomies has remained for a majority of Albanians which for example they view Skanderbeg and the anti-Ottoman forces as "good" while the Ottomans are "bad". The influence of ideology upon Albanian historians during the socialist era of Albanian Historiography can be seen not only in publications published by Academy of Sciences of Albania (i.e. Historia e Shqipërisë) but also in specialized works published by individual authors like Viron Koka, Mentar Belegu and Ilijaz Fishta. Due to that legacy, Robert Elsie emphasized that there was no reliable and objective historiography in Albania which could serve as a basis for his historical dictionary of Albania he compiled and published in 2010. Oliver Jens Schmitt stated that the post-World War II Albanian regime propagated the official version of the past using all available means. People in Albania were subjected to state organized indoctrination and propaganda. Schmitt explained that because of political influence it was impossible to organize open discussion about socialist historiography, while those who attempted to criticize it would be denounced often as non-professionals or foreigners with evil objectives. The influence of such historical myths still remain which for example in 2009 Schmitt was severely criticised in Albania after producing an academic biography that challenged the traditional Albanian concept of Skanderbeg.

Early Albanian history

The picture created by Albanian science about the early history of Albanians is simplified, uncritical and has appearances of fabrication. Albanian scholars have continuously asserted and claimed antecedence of Albanian culture over Slav culture. The official Albanian historiography, which influenced many Albanians, emphasizes that Albanians have always lived in Albania and supports the hypothesis that Albanians are descendants of Illyrians, while non-Albanian scholars consider the question of the origin of Albanians to be unsolved.

Ottoman period and Islam in Albania

The image of Islam produced by both main sources of modern Albanian historiography was neither objective nor positive. Although the communist regime fell (1992) in Albania, contemporary Albanian historians have still held onto inherited stereotypes and myths regarding Islam from Albanian socialist historiography.

Albanian historiographical myths regarding Islam include:

1. Islam was imported by the Ottomans and is an alien element of Albanian culture.
2. Albanians converted from Christianity to Islam not because of their religious feelings though instead for other opportunistic reasons or because they were sometimes forced to do so.
3. Albanian religious sentiments are weak because Albanian national feeling was always more important for Albanians than their religious adherence and affiliations.

Numerous historians from Albania with nationalist perspectives (Ramadan Marmallaku, Kristo Frasheri, Skender Anamali, Stefanaq Pollo, Skender Rizaj and Arben Puto) intentionally emphasized "the Turkish savagery" and "heroic Christian resistance against the Osmanli state in Albania". Albanian historiography tends to ignore religiously inspired enmity between Albanians of different faiths. Trends from Albanian nationalist historiography composed by scholars during and of the communist era onward linger on that interpret Ottoman rule as being the "yoke" period, akin to other Balkan historiographies.

Skanderbeg

Although the Myth of Skanderbeg had little to do with the reality of historical Skanderbeg, it was incorporated in works about history of Albania.

Treaty of London

The Treaty of London interpreted by nationalist Albanian historiography symbolizes the partition of the Albanian nation into three parts.

Other

The Serbian argument that Kosovo was first settled by the Albanians in the 17th century is rejected by modern Albanian historiography.