Underground spirituality and materiality
Religious culture under surveillance and persecution in communist Albania, 1967-1990
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21156992 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Konstantinos Giakoumis (0000-0001-6658-4414, LOGOS University College, corresponding author), Marijan Premovıć (0000-0001-6698-9462, University of Montenegro, corresponding author), Marijan Premović (University of Montenegro) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 819-844 |
| Publication date | 2023-10-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Southeast European and Black Sea Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1468-3857 • E-ISSN: 1743-9639 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14683857.2022.2138015 |
| OpenAlex | W4307644494 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 13 |
This article investigates the indispensability of religious material culture for identity processes during times of surveillance and persecution under Albania’s communist regime, especially after 1967, under conditions of intensified anti-religious frenzy. The significance of materiality in underground spirituality is investigated through two case studies. After outlining the methodological design of this study and its theoretical principles grounded on the Identity Process Theory, we delineate the historical background in which religious communities and individuals found themselves vis-à-vis their religious identities during 1967–1990. Then, we comparatively study two inconspicuous religious artefacts alongside their stories and the people who preserved and used them. Through these two cases, we strive to demonstrate how surveillance and prosecution mobilize identity processes that often act in dissidence to the political establishment by looking at how communication and memories associated with visual, material religious objects emit emotions and affection
Aesthetics · Art · Communism · Persecution · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Spirituality · Balkans: History, Politics, Society · Eastern European Communism and Reforms · Law · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration · Philosophy · Religious studies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |