The Arbëresh Culture: An Ace in the Hole, in the Heart of Calabria

The Arbëresh of Italy founded their communities in the 1400s when they were
forced to flee their homeland, Albania, as the country was conquered and ruled by the
Ottoman Empire. For centuries, they kept a close community in the Italian villages
preserving their language, culture, rituals and traditions. These elements have defined
them as “others” in the Italian community over the centuries, but today, they are better
described as Italians who also embrace the Arbëresh culture.
This dissertation explores the narratives of Arbëresh authors such as Carmine
Abate, Anna Stratigò, and Pino Cacozza, who have preserved glimpses of their culture in
their writings, thus creating an oasis that I call “the Arbëresh Utopia.” I situate them in
the larger context of Arbëresh history, and in the environment where their stories are
located. A recent research conducted through interviews in the Arbëresh towns of
Calabria, will add an important “lived” tassel of information, by exploring the Arbëresh
culture today in a state of what Michel Foucault calls heterotopia. After many years of
living in a closed community, the Arbëresh have learned to live by addition.