The religious factor during the first years of Albanian socio-economic transition

Abstract

The article analyzes the significance of the religious factor during the first years of Albania’s political transformation following the collapse of the communist regime. After nearly a quarter-century of total atheization of public life – initiated in 1967 with the proclamation of Albania as an atheist state – the reappearance of religion in the public sphere in the early 1990s became an unprecedented phenomenon. The aim of the study is to show how religion regained social and political relevance and to examine its role in the processes of democratization and the creation of a new political order. The source base includes press reports from 1990–1992, parliamentary session transcripts, political party programs, and scholarly works concerning Albania’s transformation. The author employs content analysis of media and political documents, supported by historical and comparative contextualization. The study demonstrates that in the early phase of transition, religion became an important component of anti-communist discourse and a symbol of regained freedom. The Democratic Party of Albania and other opposition groups used religion in their political campaigns, portraying it as a foundation of human rights and national identity. Post-communist parties, in turn, emphasized the idea of a secular state and religious tolerance. After the Democratic Party’s electoral victory in 1992, the importance of religion in public debate declined markedly, giving way to socio-economic issues. The only lasting area of tension remained the status of the Albanian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which became a source of national and diplomatic disputes between Albania and Greece. The article concludes that despite the restoration of religion to the public sphere, its influence on politics remained limited, while Albanian society continued to uphold a model of interfaith coexistence and a high level of religious tolerance.