Linguistic glob

Linguistic and Identity Persistence among Albanians: A Historical Anomaly in the Longue Durée. Introduction The widespread perception that history is often “distorted” or incomplete is not unfounded, particularly when examining the experiences of stateless populations (Schwartz, 1995)¹. The case of the Albanians—especially the Arbëreshë communities in Italy—represents a paradigmatic example of the misalignment between historical reality and dominant historiographical narratives (Elsie, 2001)². The extraordinary persistence of language and identity within these communities, maintained for over five centuries without political autonomy, constitutes an anomaly in the European context and raises significant questions for prevailing interpretative models (De Rada, 1882)³. 1. Structural Limitations of State-Centered Historiography Traditional historiography relies heavily on sources produced by states, institutions, and administrative apparatuses (Braudel, 1980)⁴. This approach tends to marg...