Customer Reviews

The Albanians: A Modern History

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Albania's history is rich and Miranda Vickers has done an excellent job of documenting it.

I was pleasantly surprised that she discussed the Arberesh (the Albanese of Italy), even if it was briefly.

The book is an excellent resource tool and a great addition to any library.

I haven't specifically read THIS title by this author, but I've seen other of her works. She strikes me as a serious and competent scholar with a wide and broad grasp of her subject. The fatuous remarks here by wild-eyed ethno-nationalists merely prove that she's on the right track, for when have such people ever allowed reality to intrude on their vanity.

Now that the United States has committed large numbers of ground troops to keep the peace in Bosnia and Kosova, it is important that her citizens learn about these areas. The history of the Balkans is typical of that where cultures have met and fought over the territory for centuries. It is the area where the three religions of Islam, Orthodox Christian and Catholicism share a common border with enclaves of each embedded in the other. Nearly all of the borders in that area of the world are artificial, political creations that do not reflect the ethnic and religious composition of the regions. This has led to centuries of hostility, which occasionally explodes into mass killing.
Nearly all of the nations in that area are less than a century old, and in the case of Albania, the idea of the nation is very recent. With substantial differences in customs separating the northern and southern regions, loyalty to the nation over their region among the inhabitants is an idea that postdates the creation of the country. Up until the end of the second world war, Albania was also in danger of being partitioned between the neighboring states.
All of this in combination generates a complex political and social problem that has yet to be resolved. Vickers does an excellent job in describing the events that led to the current battles in Kosova, Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia. The recounting of the centuries of conflict is well done and helps explain why U. S. military forces are needed there. The history of the region is that of more powerful nations achieving and maintaining control by manipulating the hostilities that exist between the various groups. For centuries, this was how the Ottoman empire ruled the region and world war two in the Balkans was largely a local conflict between the ethnic groups where the Germans and Italians favored one group over another.
In reading this history of the region, one finds it difficult to see a way in which the U.S. and NATO presence can easily be removed. Down through the years, there have been years of uneasy peace between the various groups and the current situation could just be another such time. Nevertheless, it is important for the U. S. to be involved and this book is a good way to learn why the forces should be involved and will no doubt be there for some time.

I think that this book describes poorely the question of identity forming and the Albanian question in general. After reading the comments above, I find myself disgusted by some statements that Albanian Culture doesn't have much to offer. One cannot read Miranda Vickers in hope to find what the Albanian question really is, and when did their identity form. There are countless books written in Italian, German, Croatian, French and Greek about the Albanians, which are hard to find, but if one wants to really know what goes on, one must account for the origins of the Albanians, read more about the Pelasgians, Illyrians and the Epirots, the developing of Religion, the emperors and important figures this country has given to the world, from Alexander the Great to many others. Thus this book cannot be regarded as the absolute meter in the politics of the Balkans. We are not talking about the politics as people in US understand it today, we're talking about nations that have been fighting with each other for various reasons since the Trojan War and down to the present times. This is a modest work that can captivate as much as a visit of a tourist can, but like I said there's much more to the Albanians and their inestimable contribute to the culture of the west. In the end, the Albanians are the victims of the politics of 19-20 century, becouse if it weren't for some very wrong and immoral decisions, we would be here talking not about an Albanian nation with a so called "latin" alphabet, but for an Albanian nation with an Albanian alphabet(ie. Pelasgo-Etruscan which later was adopted by the Greeks). Books like this are enough for people who are curious of Albania as they might be curious for the next Saturday Night Live, but not for real serious people.

Miranda Vicker's book is worthless. I'd like to advise all my fellas to not waste money on this book. This book shows the author's apathy for the historical truth of the Albanian people. The author's narrative subject is based on very narrow sources highly embued with anti-Albanian sentiment. The Albanian culture is a very profound subject. It takes years, specific education and devotion to become a scholar of a such field. The title of the book is quite lucid, but unfortunately, Miranda Vickers has failed to deal with the genuine subjectivity of the Albanian people.

Advice: Read these books

1. Illyrians - Arthur Evans( a great scholar of ancient greek and ancient proto-albanian culture)

2. The Etruscans Begin to Speak - ZACHARIE MAYANI

3. The Albanian Studies - Eçrem Çabej

4. Vatican Holy Library

5. Ragusa(Dubrovnik) Diocesian' Library

6. Noel Malcom: Kosovo: A short history

and so on and so forth...

Well, the title says it all. This book is completely worthless. A pathetic work from a pathetic author.