The Resurrection of the Church in Albania


Book Description

The church in Albania has, in the last decade, gone through dramatic changes with the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. Albania was the first officially atheist state in the world, and all forms of religious expression were suppressed after 1967. The Orthodox Church, the oldest and largest Christian community in Albania, has, since the fall of communism, been transformed from a repressed church into a vibrant, rapidly growing and inspired force for renewal and reconciliation in the country. This book presents a fascinating historical background and an inspiring story of current church witness. The traditions and life of this fellowship, so clearly portrayed, will help educate the wider Christian community about Albania's diverse religious life and also the role religion can play as a potential force for both healing and peace in the Balkan region.




Communism, Atheism and the Orthodox Church of Albania


Book Description

This book examines the relations between the Albanian communist regime and the Albanian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (AAOC) from 1945, when the communists came to power, to 1967, when Albania became the only atheistic state in the world, and religion of all kinds was completely suppressed. Based on extensive archival research, the book outlines Orthodox Church life under communism and considers the regime’s strategies to control, use, and subordinate the Church. It argues against a simple state oppression versus Church resistance scenario, showing that the situation was much more complex, with neither the regime nor the Church being monolithic entities. It shows how, despite the brutality and the constant pressure of the state, the Church successfully negotiated with the communist authorities and benefited from engaging with them, and how the communist authorities used the Church as a tool of foreign policy, especially to strengthen the regime’s ties with their East European allies.




Central and South-Eastern Europe 2004


Book Description

Comprises: a general survey of the region; country surveys; political profiles of the region; and information on international and regional organizations, and research institutes.







Go Forth


Book Description

Of all the stories of the resurrection of the Orthodox Church in formerly communist lands, Albania's may be the most dramatic. Having been almost exterminated by the atheist government, the Church of Albania has arisen, under the leadership of Archbishop Anastasios, to become a vibrant and growing member of the world Orthodox community. Fr. Luke Veronis and his family served as missionaries to Albania during some of the most crucial years of this resurrection. In these pages, Fr. Luke shares stories of those years--stories of desperate poverty and of heroism, of setbacks and triumphs, of heartbreak and miracles--and calls us all to answer the Lord's Great Commission: Go Forth!




Eastern Christianity and Politics in the Twenty-First Century


Book Description

This book provides an up-to-date, comprehensive overview of Eastern Christian churches in Europe, the Middle East, America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Written by leading international scholars in the field, it examines both Orthodox and Oriental churches from the end of the Cold War up to the present day. The book offers a unique insight into the myriad church-state relations in Eastern Christianity and tackles contemporary concerns, opportunities and challenges, such as religious revival after the fall of communism; churches and democracy; relations between Orthodox, Catholic and Greek Catholic churches; religious education and monastic life; the size and structure of congregations; and the impact of migration, secularisation and globalisation on Eastern Christianity in the twenty-first century.




Albanian Identity in History and Traditional Performance


Book Description

This book represents a group of individual musical essays collected under common Albanian themes, with a particular focus on historical identities and traditional musical performance. It shows that, at the beginning of the 18th century, there was a growing interest in representing the Albanian hero Scanderbeg on the operatic stage, as some well-known composers of baroque music began to place a greater emphasis on music’s dramatic power to elicit emotional response. The book also notes that this sense of drama was also incorporated into the vocal forms such as opera.




Albania


Book Description

WITH A NEW POSTSCRIPT Situated between Greece on the south, the former Yugoslavia on the north and east, and the Adriatic Sea on the west, Albania is the country the world forgot. Throughout this century, Albania has been perceived as primitive and isolationist by its neighbors to the west. When the country ended fifty years of communist rule in 1992, few outsiders took interest. Deemed unworthy of membership in the European Union and overlooked by multinational corporations, Albania stands today as one of the poorest and most ignored countries in Europe. Miranda Vickers and James Pettifer take us behind the veil of former President Enver Hoxha's isolationist policies to examine the historic events leading up to Albania's transition to a parliamentary government. Beginning with Hoxha's death in 1985, Albania traces the last decade of Albania's shaky existence, from the anarchy and chaos of the early nineties to the victory of the Democratic Alliance in 1992 and the programs of the current government. The authors provide us with an analysis of how the moral, religious, economic, political and cultural identity of the Albanian people is being redefined, and leave no question that the future of Albania is inextricably linked to the future of the Balkans as a whole. In short, they tell us why Albania matters.




Unity in Mission


Book Description




Rediscovering Albania


Book Description

Adam YameyOs informative travelogue offers a new and interesting look at Albania: its valiant people, its intriguing history, its wonderful landscapes, and its myriad attractions. The author, who first visited the country in 1984 when it was ruled by a Stalinist dictatorship, rediscovers Albania now that it has become a democracy. Profusely illustrated, Rediscovering Albania introduces one of EuropeOs lesser-known countries."