The Europeanization Of The Albanian National Identity: The Identity Debate Of Ismail Kadare Versus Rexhep Qosja

Debates and discussions on the national identity of Albanians, respectively the civil belonging of this identity, has its genesis since the period of the Albanian National Renaissance. At that period of time, the Albanian Renaissance’s representatives faced the civil belonging’s dilemma of the Albanian nation. This, because of the fact that Albanians had a nation, culture and language that belonged to Europe, but under five centuries of occupation of the Ottoman Empire were endowed with Oriental-Ottoman features and characteristics in many aspects of identity, culture, language, mentality, religion, etc. The western identity orientation of the Albanian renaissancers did not end the debate on Albanian civic belonging. Such debates continued throughout the twentieth century and continue to this day. Such is the debate between the most famous Albanian writer Ismail Kadare and the iconic scholar of Albanian culture Rexhep Qosja. This paper sets out and analyzes the views of these two predominantly Albanian intellectuals, the clash of these views, addresses the arguments of each and interprets them from a more objective perspective, including in the paper the views of other Albanian and foreign scholars and contributors to this cultural and identity debate that continues in Albanian society to this day. Being Kadare and Qosja the most influential intellectuals of the Albanian culture, the treatment of such a debate becomes of scientific importance.