GENERATIONAL COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND POLITICAL CULTURE IN POST-COMMUNIST ALBANIA

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between the collective memory of the communist regime and political culture in post-communist Albania, with a focus on generational differences. Located in the Western Balkans, Albania has gone through one of the harshest communist regimes of the Eastern bloc. Understanding how Albanians remember the communist past can help us make sense of the current political culture in the country as the two concepts are interlinked with each other. This study will use a blend of quantitative and qualitative data gathered from first-hand sources. Drawing on survey data, this research examines how different generations of Albanians recall and interpret the past, and how these memories in turn influence components of political culture such as trust in institutions, political interest, political participation, ideological orientation and attitudes towards leadership. The data found that although the collective memory of the communist regime is generally more traumatic rather than nostalgic, generational differences were also present. The older generation has a stronger sense of collective memory, and also higher political interest and participation. The younger generation, on the other hand, has a weaker collective memory by also being more detached from politics. Overall, this research offers insights into the interplay of collective memory and political culture in the case of Albania, which has implications for the country’s democratic consolidation.