The Ottoman Period in Albanian Historiography (1915-2015)

Abstract

The main purpose of this thesis is to identify the most important historians in Albanian historiography concerning the Ottoman period and to analyse their views and attitudes on that period. To identify the most influential historians, social network analysis method was used. Bibliographical data extracted from 130 books, most of which are written in Albanian and published mainly during the 20th century, were used as the data source for analysis. A total of 4300 bibliographic references and more than 7800 citations’ data were compiled from these books. These data were uploaded to a system titled kaynakca.info and analysed using this system’s social network analysis method. Firstly, the most influential historians in the field of Albanian history during the Ottoman period were determined based on eigenvector, betweenness and closeness centrality criteria of the social network analysis method. Further on, these historians’ views and attitudes on the Ottoman period were qualitatively analysed based on their works. The opinions of these historians were discussed based on three periods: the patriotic-nationalist period (1912 – 1945), the communist period (1945 – 1990) and the democratic period (1990 – 2015). According to this, influential historians portrayed a nationalist view of the Ottoman period between 1912 – 1945, while between 1945 - 1990 they were influenced by a more communist ideology. After 1990, a liberal approach to the Ottoman period was introduced. What these time segments have in common – with very few exceptions – was the domination of the idea that the Ottoman Empire was an invader and left Albanians 500 years behind. Findings obtained from this thesis can make it easier for researchers to choose literature related to the Ottoman Empire for research purposes. Moreover, the most cited historians’ list from this study could serve even ordinary readers who are interested in this important period of Albanian history.