Arbëresh in unpublished studies

The Arbëresh Studies and Publications Center has started work as an exclusive center that focuses on the study of the scientific corpus of the intangible cultural heritage for the Arbëresh people of Italy and the Arbëresh people of Zara, Croatia, up to those of Venice.

The center under the Ministry of Diaspora of Albania focuses on the six-century culture of Italian Albanians. Director Diana Kastrati talks about publications that come out for the first time and her relationship with Arbëresh residents. She clarifies that the intangible culture of arboretums is included in the center of future projects, since it is a rare case of preserving culture in six centuries.

"It includes fields related to ethnology, linguistics, literature, folklore, anthropology. It has not happened that a community that fled six centuries ago continues to preserve not only the language, but everything that is contained in the spiritual constitution of that population".

In addition to the scholarly assembly with researchers' statements about the Arbëre world, which is expected to be held on September 16-17 if the situation with the pandemic allows, Kastrati talks about publications that bring innovation.

"We have four publications, they are studies that come for the first time, one of them about one of the most representative figures of the Arberian world, like Pope Antonios Belushi".

Teacher and voice translator, her connection with the people of Arbëresh starts in her early childhood with her father, the academician and researcher Jup Kastrati, which makes her task not only more sensitive, but also more challenging.

"A surname that is not my merit, but that I carry. Of course, the last name makes you more in focus, and with spotlights in front. Maybe I grew up with the micro-universe of trees thanks to my father's presence. The names of Arbëresh residents, their deeds, the activities held for them, were part of daily conversations and were, let's say, like a kind of aperitif of my childhood".

Arbëresh culture in its entirety will come under new studies to highlight the six centuries of identity preservation. /GSh/