Bibliograph

Contested borders, territorialization, national identity and "imagined geographies" in Albania, Ilir Kalemaj

Type

Label

Contested borders, territorialization, national identity and "imagined geographies" in Albania, Ilir Kalemaj

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-264) and index

Illustrations

maps

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Contested borders

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

880349842

Responsibility statement

Ilir Kalemaj

Series statement

Nationalisms across the globe, vol. 15

Sub title

territorialization, national identity and "imagined geographies" in Albania

Summary

This book argues that power struggles between internal and diasporic elites play a central role in the development of political agendas that have the potential to shift national borders. The author uses Albania as the primary case study, examining how the understanding of the Albanian nation has taken on varying geographical borders over time and why different Albanian communities have often had differing perceptions of the borders of the nation. On the basis of this case study, the author constructs a theoretical model that captures the dynamic of domestic versus international constraints on elite choices and analyses how this leads to the (re)construction of borders. The book explores the way in which competing elites manipulate national symbols to create the necessary environment for personal political gain, using both expansionist and contractionist versions of "virtual" borders that may or may not be congruent with internationally recognized borders.--, Provided by publisher

Table Of Contents

Delineating the playing field : virtual borders and imagined geographies -- Boundary mapping and territorialization of identity -- From nation-building to state-formation : how virtual mapping intersected with recognized borders in the Albanian imagination -- The interwar period, various shifts in the configuration of boundaries at elite level and national imagining amongst Albanians in Albania and abroad : from contractionary to expansionary and vice-versa -- From greater Albania during the Second World War to contractionary borders during the communist era -- Reimagining territorial landscape and mental borders in the post-communist and democratic transition era

Creator