Rebels, Believers, Survivors: Studies in the History of the Albanians

by Noel Malcolm

Thanks to its half-century under Communism, as well as its little-known language, Albania has suffered from neglect and a sense of isolation. Yet, as this study helps to show, the Albanian lands have a long history of interaction with others. They have been a meeting-ground of Christianity and Islam; a channel through which Venice connected with the Ottoman Balkans; a place of interest to the Habsburgs; and a focus for the ambitions of neighbouring powers in the lateOttoman period. Albanians themselves could have many different identities.The studies in this volume, by one of the world's leading experts on Albanian history, range from the fifteenth century to the twentieth, taking in politics, social history, religion and diplomacy. Each is based on original research; the longest, on Ali Pasha, uses a wealth of manuscript material to tell, for the first time, the full story of the vital role he played in the international politics of the Napoleonic Wars. Other studies bring to life ordinary individuals hitherto unknown women hauled before the Inquisition, for example, or the author of the first Albanian autobiography.Some of these studies have been printed before (several in hard-to-find publications, and one only in Albanian), but the greater part of this book appears here for the first time. This is not only a landmark publication for readers interested in south-east European history. It also engages with many broader issues, including religious conversion, 'crypto-Christianity' among Muslims, methods of enslavement within the Ottoman Empire, and the nature of modern myth-making about nationalidentity.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Albanian Literature, Religion

510 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 10, 2020

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had not just read E. Jacques' book on the history of Albania (flawed though it is), I would not have been able to make any sense of this book. The operative word in the title is "studies" - Malcolm gives in depth looks at some esoteric bits of the history of what is now Albania. He is such an authority on the history of the entire region that everything is extremely detailed. But you need to have a basis of knowledge already for these days to mean anything to you.
Perhaps because he has previously written a book about Kosovo, there is more here about the north of Albania, where the Christians are Catholic, than the Orthodox south where my family is from. His long essay about Ali Pasha and his DECADES of playing the French and British off against one another was impressive if you are interested in that subject. He does provide a little reality check for anybody who thinks of Ali as a proto-nationalist; he was all about Ali.
His essay about the historical viewpoints on Kosovo's population was instructive but might be explored more in his book on Kosovo.
I persevered because I was clearly in the presence of an authority who takes no BS, and I was rewarded (if that is the right word) by the last essay, on myths about Albanian national identity. One after the other he dismantled the very theses of the Jacques book I just read, ethnic and religious and linguistic. That was sobering but useful. He does say clearly and repeatedly that these theories became widely promoted and published at the same time that the world powers were considering doing away with Albania altogether and sharing it out among us neighbors, and that their primary audience was intended to be the leadership of the west. I wish it was possible to find that essay online because I think anyone investigating the history of this region needs to keep this in mind.
I may get rid of that Jacques book...

[Flamur Vehapi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rare and fascinating work. Loved the level of detail Malcolm put into this. Definitely recommend.