Religion on the border: Sanctuaries and festivals in post-communist Albania
Résumé
This paper is an attempt to bring together observations conducted in three ‘sanctuaries' of south-east Albania and observations regarding the international border between Greece and Albania and its impact on local society. The aim of this paper is not to give a detailed account of religious life in those places, but rather to contextualise the three festivals in the border area; it suggests that ‘sacred places' are not insignificant places in the border area. In the first part of the paper, sanctuaries are described within the international border area. In the second part, I describe the role played by the international border in the definition and frequentation of the sanctuaries. There seems to be a complex relationship between local manifestations of piety and the international border: in this contested border area, where the territorial and minorities issues are intertwined with considerations about the religious boundary between Orthodox Christianity and Islam, the border has probably an impact on the existence of sanctuaries and shrines all over the area, as well as on their meaning and use by various local groups. On the other hand, sanctuaries and shrines can be seen as places where the social production of the border takes place; places where the border is challenged or reasserted, places where the border is experienced by and made visible to local population.
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)
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