TREGIMII (PA)PLOTË MBI PAVARËSINË: RISHKRIMII HISTORISË DHE SJELLJA SHTETËRORE PAS VITEVE ‘90
THE (IN)COMPLETE ACCOUNT OF INDEPENDENCE: THE REWRITING OF HISTORY AND THE STATE’S ATTITUDE AFTER 1990S

Summary/Abstract: More than a century from the declaration of independence the Albanian state and society have not yet concluded the process of appraising their founding fathers. During the communist period these historical figures were judged primarily on ideological grounds or on the political attitude they and their families held during the monarchy years and WWII. A large part was denigrated, overlooked or even erased from the country’s public memory in compliance with the political guidelines of the time. The establishment of the pluralist system marked a new encounter of the state and society with the signers of the Declaration of Independence, their contribution, biography, life and professional activity. This paper deals with the process of reassessing some of the main historical figures of Independence, the features of the political developments and the institutions’ attitude towards this process, the negative influence caused by political interests and the lack of commonly accepted criteria of reassessment. The tendency to establish links with the independence’s personalities, their later political views and the present political attitudes, not only delayed the process but also crippled the collective public and state memory. In this paper we will argue that the attitude towards Independence and the system of historical values are disproportional, subjective and politically motivated, and as a result almost three decades after the change in the political system, the account of Independence remains incomplete. The closure of this process through a social reflection and a professional and academic approach would have a positive influence on the national memory and the state and civil culture in general.

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