Panel 02: The Arëbreshë, a Minor Ethnic-Linguistic Diaspora: A Unique Italian Case Study (EN)

Chair: Nick Ceramella, independent researcher

This Panel will focus on a particular case study: The Arëbreshë Diaspora. This represents the historic migration process of Albanians into Italy, which took place from mid-15th century - through six successive more waves - until the 18th century. The Arëbreshë diaspora was originally caused by the Turkish invasion of Albania and by the consequent religious and cultural persecution of the native Albanian Christian Orthodox believers. It gave birth to the foundation of the Italian-Albanian community in Southern Italy, an ethnic-linguistic group consisting of 100.000 people, distributed in 50 towns, who are located in seven regions. However incredible it may sound, after over five centuries, the Arëbreshë not only still speak their language (Arëbrishët, one of the varieties of Albanian), but they proudly preserve their identity and culture (music, religion, gastronomy), even if they have undergone a certain assimilation into the hosting cultural system. We will cover their evolution as a community so far, touching on the rising fairly recent interest in their roots on both sides of the Ionian Sea. Yet their mottos remain: 'gjaku i shprishur nuk u harrua' (The spread blood has not been forgotten), and ""Bashkë jemi më të fort"" (Assieme siamo più forti""). Last but not least, we will touch on the present migratory situation, reaching its apex when as many as 20.000 Albanians docked at the port of Bari from Dürres on 8th August 1991. Ever since, the number of Albanian immigrants has continued to grow to 400.000. Most of them are part and parcel of the Italian population.

Keywords: Arëbreshë, Diaspora, Southern Italy, immigration, community