The Postcolonial Nature of the Post-Soviet Space: a reading of the cultural condition of Albania
The Postcolonial Nature of the Post-Soviet Space: a reading of the cultural condition of Albania

Summary/Abstract: Postcolonialism has always concerned itself with the conditions in former colonies of European maritime empires. However, based on current frameworks defining imperialism and the post-colonial condition, the erstwhile Soviet Union could be classified as a colonial power. Its aggressive annexation of nations and paranoid control of information and education systems are reflective of colonial practices. Nevertheless, the Eurocentrism inherent in the culture of its former members prevents them from acknowledging their postcoloniality. Albania is one such nation. Not only was it a province of the Ottoman Empire for centuries but also a satellite state of the Soviet Union. Although Albania broke away from the USSR in the 1960s, it remained under the aegis of Soviet ideology as its nationalist dictator Enver Hoxha was a staunch Stalinist. This created unique cultural conditions which eminent Albanian writers like Ismail Kadare could not help but represent in their works. The post-Soviet space, including Albania, shows a number of symptoms of postcoloniality which are a direct consequence of Soviet imperialism. This paper will explore the postcoloniality of the post-Soviet space and analyse its symptoms in Stalinist Albania. In this context, it will also briefly examine the orientalist frameworks often employed by the West in its dealings with the ambiguous Europeanness of East and Central European nations.

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