The Center for Studies and Publications for the Arbëresh (Italo-Albanians) has started working as an exclusive center focusing on the study of the scientific corpus of intangible cultural heritage for the Arbëresh of Italy and the Arbnesh (Albanian-Croatians) of the Zadar of Croatia to those of Venice. Publications for them, will be brought back to attention. The center, under the auspices of the Ministry of Diaspora, focuses on the 6-century culture of the Albanians of Italy.
Director Diana Kastrati talks about publications that come out for the first time and her relationship with the Arbëresh. She explains that the center of future projects includes the intangible culture of the Arbëresh, as it is a rare case of preserving the culture in six centuries. "It includes fields related to ethnology, linguistics, literature, folklore, anthropology. It has not happened that a community that fled 6 centuries ago continues to preserve not only the language, but everything that the spiritual constitution of that population contains ”.
In addition to the knowledgeable assembly with scholarly announcements about the Arbëresh world, which is expected to be held on September 16-17, if the situation of pandemic allows, Kastrati talks about publications that bring innovation. "We have four publications, they are studies that are coming for the first time, one of them for one of the most representative figures of the Arbëresh world, Pope Antonios Belushi."
A vocal educator and translator, her relationship with the Arbëresh began in her early childhood with her father, the academic and researcher Jup Kastrati, which makes her task not only more sensitive but also more challenging. "A surname that is not my merit, but that I keep. Of course the surname makes you more focused, and with spotlights ahead. Maybe I grew up with the Arbëresh micro-university thanks to the presence of my father. The names of the Arbëresh, their works, the activities that were held for him, were part of the daily conversations and have been, let's say, a kind of aperitif of my childhood ".
Arbëresh culture, in its entirety, will be revived under new studies, in order to highlight the 6 centuries of identity preservation.
Director Diana Kastrati talks about publications that come out for the first time and her relationship with the Arbëresh. She explains that the center of future projects includes the intangible culture of the Arbëresh, as it is a rare case of preserving the culture in six centuries. "It includes fields related to ethnology, linguistics, literature, folklore, anthropology. It has not happened that a community that fled 6 centuries ago continues to preserve not only the language, but everything that the spiritual constitution of that population contains ”.
In addition to the knowledgeable assembly with scholarly announcements about the Arbëresh world, which is expected to be held on September 16-17, if the situation of pandemic allows, Kastrati talks about publications that bring innovation. "We have four publications, they are studies that are coming for the first time, one of them for one of the most representative figures of the Arbëresh world, Pope Antonios Belushi."
A vocal educator and translator, her relationship with the Arbëresh began in her early childhood with her father, the academic and researcher Jup Kastrati, which makes her task not only more sensitive but also more challenging. "A surname that is not my merit, but that I keep. Of course the surname makes you more focused, and with spotlights ahead. Maybe I grew up with the Arbëresh micro-university thanks to the presence of my father. The names of the Arbëresh, their works, the activities that were held for him, were part of the daily conversations and have been, let's say, a kind of aperitif of my childhood ".
Arbëresh culture, in its entirety, will be revived under new studies, in order to highlight the 6 centuries of identity preservation.