The building of Albanian identity after the Ottoman era

This study aims to critic and share the process of build of the Albanian identity after the Ottoman era. Within this dissertation, the Albanian identity has been evaluated from the earliest period to the present. The identity of one group or one community can stand on its feet only if relies in several factors. The factors that create, preserve and revive the identity are language, religion, culture and tradition. Thanks to the joint sustenance of these factors, the mechanism that preserves the identity arises. The faith factor among the Albanians was added afterwards by the will of the Albanians themselves. The reason for conversion of the Albanians from one religion to the other is due to the preservation of identity. In this respect, it can be said that the Islamic religion had a role of a protective shield in the direction of preserving the Albanian identity. The fact that language and religion are indivisible elements of Albanian identity has been proven several times throughout history. In the recent centuries, there have been attempts to destroy the Albanian identity. Various methods were intended to split the original Albanian identity. In this perspective the initiatives for protection of the identity of Kosovars (for the Albanians from Kosovo), Macedonian (for the Albanians from Macedonia) or Montenegrins (for the Albanians from Montenegro), are fostered in order to create divergence that would further on result in conflicts. Over time, depending on the region where they lived, there were attempts to create new and different identities for the Albanians. Starting with the external forces, certain circles have tried to create these new identities and through them to cause conflicts among the Albanians themselves.