The policy of non-discrimination and the protection of minority cultural heritage in Albania

ABSTRACT

This paper looks at the effectiveness of the policy of non-discrimination towards minorities in the preservation of minority cultural heritage, constructing a case study within Albania. After defining the key terms used, this paper examines the legal framework of non-discrimination towards minorities in its historical development and looks into the state of preservation of minority cultural heritage on the ground throughout the 2010s combining extensive field-work with interviews with key representatives of ethnic minorities in Albania. The poor state of preservation of minority cultural heritage is mostly attributed to under-financing and the insufficient policy of non-discrimination. As I demonstrate, in the case of minorities with a kin-state in the region, most notably Greece, as well as the heritage claimed by neighbouring states, primarily Turkey, the policy of non-discrimination and the practice of under-financing paves the way for external involvement in the protection of cultural heritage, in pursuit of international political agendas. The paper concludes that more needs to be done for the protection of minority cultural heritage in Albania.

KEYWORDS:

• Cultural heritage
• minority cultural heritage
• Albania
• protection of minority cultural heritage
• non-discrimination policy
• minorities in the Balkans

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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Notes on contributors

Konstantinos Giakoumis

Konstantinos Giakoumis is Associate Professor of Art History at the European University of Tirana and a Ph.D. holder from the University of Birmingham. A proliferate author in art historical matters, Dr. Giakoumis has also engaged in issues pertaining to cultural heritage policies, policies and education, with an emphasis on minority cultural heritage.