Catapulted from totalitarianism to free market capitalism in 1991, Albania emerged from half a century of isolation to find itself an anomaly in Europe: a third world country economically and infra-structurally, first world in terms of education, literature and the arts.
This portrait of Albania's 'transition' is based on the experiences of a diverse range of families – highland villagers, urban elite, shanty dwellers - whose lives the anthropologist author has followed closely since 1992. Village life is conveyed in vivid detail. The villagers deal with the grinding poverty of village life with humour, charm and reslience. Rural life, despite concerted attempts by the communist regime to eradicate 'backwardness', is still pervaded by the archaic world of customary law, a system whose influence spans dispute settlement, forest rights, marriage arrangement and blood-feuds.
In the capital, Tirana, members of the former communist elite are courted by innumerable missionary groups and

- 277 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Contents
- List of Ilustrations
- 1. Introduction
- 2. First Impressions: Dropull
- 3. Tirana, 1992
- 4. Looking for a fieldwork base
- 5. Mirdita and Its History
- 6. The Kanun in the 1990s
- 7. On the Ground in the Mirdita: Fan
- 8. Orosh
- 9. Developments
- 10. Village Life
- 11. Rrëshen 1
- 12. Rrëshen 2
- 13. Descent to the Plain
- 14. Concluding
- Appendices
- Endnotes
- Bibliography
- Index
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Yes, you can access Albania by Clarissa de Waal in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & 20th Century History. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.