Albanophobia or anti-albanianism is discrimination or prejudice towards Albanian immigrants, described in countries with large Albanian immigrant populations, especially Greece and Italy[1][2][3] but also in countries with historical Albanian minorities such as the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia.
A similar term used with the same denotation is anti-albanianism[4] used in many sources similarly with albanophobia, although its similarities and/or differences are not defined.
Its opposite is Albanophilia.
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Albanophobia as a term was coined by Anna Triandafyllidou on a report analysis called Racism and Cultural Diversity In the Mass Media published in 2002.[1] The report by Triandafyllidou represented Albanian migrants in Greece[5] and was followed by other researchers like Karyotis in Greece and Mai in Italy. The form Albano-phobia (dashed) is used on some references (including Traindafullidou), apparently with the same meaning.
Albanian stereotypes that formed amid the creation of an independent Albanian country and stereotypes that formed during 80s, 90s massive immigrations from Albania and Kosovo, though may differ, are still both considered Albanophobic and anti-Albanian by many authors such as Triandafyllidou, Banac, Karyotis.
Albanophobia signifies a wider range of concepts that could be roughly grouped in two main categories:
The Albanian stereotype as criminal and degenerate in Greece has been subject of study by the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights and by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia.[6][7] It is considered that prejudices and mistreatment of Albanians to be still present in Greece.[6] According to a statement of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, the Albanians are the most likely ethnic group in Greece to be killed by Greek law enforcement officials (28 May 2002, 153).[6] In addition, the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) singles out ethnic Albanians as principle targets of racism. Furthermore, the EUMC found that undocumented Albanian migrants "experience serious discrimination in employment, particularly with respect to the payment of wages and social security contributions".[6][6][7]
Prejudicial representations of Albanians and Albanian criminality (see Albanian mafia) by the Greek media is largely responsible for the social construction of negative stereotypes, in contrast to the commonly held belief that Greek society is neither xenophobic nor racist.[8]
Albanophobia in Italy is primarily related to the Albanian immigrants who are stereotypically seen as criminals, drug dealers.[9][10] Italian media provide a lot of space and attention to crimes committed by ethnic Albanians, even those just presumed.[11]
The origins of anti-Albanian propaganda in Serbia started by the end of 19th century and the reason for this was the claims made by Serbian state on territories that were about to be controlled by Albanians after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.[12] On the eve of the First Balkan War 1912, Serbian media have implemented a strong anti-Albanian campaign.[13]
During the end of 1980s and in the beginning of 1990s, in some occasions activities undertaken by Serbian officials in Kosovo have been marked as albanophobic.[14] The Serbian media during Milošević's era was known to espouse Serb nationalism while promoting xenophobia toward the other ethnicities in Yugoslavia. Ethnic Albanians were commonly characterized in the media as anti-Yugoslav counter-revolutionaries, rapists, and a threat to the Serb nation.[15] During the Kosovo War, Serbian forces continually discriminating Kosovo Albanians:
Throughout Kosovo, the forces of the FRY and Serbia have harassed, humiliated, and degraded Kosovo Albanian civilians through physical and verbal abuse. Policemen, soldiers, and military officers have persistently subjected Kosovo Albanians to insults, racial slurs, degrading acts, beatings, and other forms of physical mistreatment based on their racial, religious, and political identification.[16]
— War Crimes Indictment against Milosevic and others
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