1. Albanian
Americans
By: Tara Gouin

2. History
 On November 28, 1912, Albania proclaimed its
independence from the Ottoman Empire
 From 1944 until 1990 it was a Communist
country
 Religion was prohibited from 1967 to 1990
 In 1991 the country’s name changed from
People’s Republic of Albania to the Republic of
Albania
 Between 1990 and 1992 Albania ended its 47
year Communist Rule and became a multi-party
democracy
 Albanian Americans feel a strong attachment to
Albania and support events that occur in the
homeland

3. Immigration
 Albanians are the most recent group to
migrate to the United States
 Prior to WWI, Albanians migrated to America
because of poor economic conditions, political
concerns, or to escape military conscription in
the Turkish army
 A second wave of immigrants came in 1944
after the country came under Communist
control
 In 1967 Albanians migrated to the U.S. when
religion was outlawed

4. Immigration cont.
 In the 1990s many migrated to America as
refugees of war
 In 1999, the United States granted legal alien
status to about 20,000 Kosovar refugees
 Most early immigrants were illiterate
 Early immigrants settled in or around the
Boston area

5. Statistics
 According to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau
data, there are 193,183 Albanian Americans
living in the United States.
 107,108 are Albanian born citizens; 86,075
are U.S. born citizens
 The states with the largest population of
Albanians are New
York, Michigan, Massachusetts, New
Jersey, Connecticut, and Illinois.

6. Economics
 A large population of Albanians settled in
Massachusetts
 They found work at the American Optical
Company in Southbridge or textile mills in
New Bedford
 Albanians were successful as small business
owners of fruit stores and restaurants
 By 1925, Albanians owned over 300 grocery
and fruit stores in the Boston area
 Today they are employed in a variety of
professions and enterprises

7. Culture
• Official Language is Albanian – a romance
language
 There are two dialects of language: Gheg in
the North and Tosk in the South
• Albanians hug and kiss upon greeting
• Albanians tend to sit close and speak to
others in close proximity.
• Touching another persons arm, shoulder or
hands is pretty common
• Direct eye contact is very acceptable and
they associate a steady gaze with sincerity.

8. Culture cont.
 Traditional head nods are reversed. Vertical
head nod means no and horizontal head
shake means yes
 Hospitality is very important – strangers are
well received and treated like friends
 Loyalty is valued – even war and death will
not keep an Albanian from keeping his or her
word
 The eagle is the National symbol of Albania
and it represents freedom and heroism

9. Religion
 70% are Muslim
 20% Eastern Orthodox
 10% Roman Catholic
 Religious divisions are not significant –
members of the same family may even
belong to different religions
 Albanian people identify themselves as
Albanian first and by their religious
affiliation second

10. Family Life
 Traditionally Albanian households are
patriarchal with men making decisions
 Women are the caretakers and are expected
to serve their husbands
 Family is considered to be the most stable
institution
 They uphold the most positive image
possible especially regarding their family
 Role of women is slowly shifting as women
are increasingly becoming employed outside
the home

11. Youth and Elderly Practices
 Girls are not given the same freedom as the
boys
 Girls are encouraged to stay home and they
get a bad reputation if they are seen outside
too much
 Traditionally several generations lived in the
same household due to financial constraints
 Children have a duty to honor their parents
and respect their wishes

12. Health and Wellness
 Albanians believe that illness is caused by
unfavorable climate, poor eating, physical or
psychological oppression
 Due to a lack of familiarity with mental
illness, Albanians believe it stems from evil
 Albanians may not want to bathe or wash
their hair due to the belief that they may get
sick
 They are reluctant to seek services
 They do not consider preventative care as
valuable

13. Barriers to Education
 The Albanian school system was in chaos due to
widespread vandalism and extreme shortage of
books and supplies
 Many teachers relocated from rural to urban
areas
 Education was not viewed with the same
importance and value as it is in America
 Albanian Americans did not want their children
to go to American schools when they first
arrived in America
 Gradually they accepted the fact that an
education provided the foundation for a better
way of life in America

14. Strategies for Teachers & Schools
 Attend diversity training and cultural workshops
 Take classes and participate in professional
development to ensure cultural competency
 Use cross-cultural topics and materials in the
classroom
 Displays in the classroom reflecting the different
cultures of the students
 Value diversity and create an environment that
accepts and respects the differences
 Involve community cultural leaders in classroom
and school activities
 Ensure that communications to parents are
printed in the native language if needed
 Eliminate cultural bias from all classroom tests

15. Community Resources
 Massachusetts Albanian American Society “BESA”
provides support and services
 Lutheran Social Services of New England in
Worcester offers support to new immigrants
 Friendly House in Worcester offers Albanian
Programs
 Central Mass Area Health Education
Center, Worcester provides Albanian interpreters
 Great Brook Valley Health Center, Worcester has
linguistic and cultural groups
 Albanian American Civic League
 Albanian American National Organization
 Frosina Information Network, Boston

16. Community Resources cont.
 Immigration Outreach, Worcester
 New Albanian School, Worcester
 St. Mary’s Assumption Albanian Orthodox
Church, Worcester
 Holy Trinity Albanian Orthodox
Church, Boston
 Albanian Dance Troupe, Worcester
 Bashkimi Dance Company
 ValleTona St. Mary’s Dance Group, Worcester

17. Lesson Plan
 This lesson would address the Standard 1.MA.8.A
– Identify characteristics commonly shared by
folktales and fairy tales.
 The children will listen to an Albanian Folktale
 Based upon what they already know about
folktales, and the use of trickery, the students
will be able to identify it as a folktale
 The children will complete a graphic organizer to
identify the good characters and the bad/evil
characters
 They will identify the setting of the story
 The students will discuss the problem and the
solution as well as the elements of trickery used
in the story

18. Extension of the Lesson
 The children will listen to folktales and fairy
tales from all around the world
 They will identify the stories as folktales (use
of trickery) or fairy tales (elements of magic)
 The children will pick a favorite folktale or
fairy tale and create a character mobile.
 At the end of the unit a final assessment will
be given. The final assessment will be a
letter written by the student to the teacher
identifying something they learned about
folktales or fairy tales.

19. Resources
 Countries and Their Cultures. Albanian
Americans. 2012. www.everyculture.com
 CWTI. Albanian Culture. 2005.
www.cwti.org
 Culture Crossing.A Community Built Guide
To Cross Cultural Etiquette &
Understanding. 2012.
www.culturecrossing.net