I learned yesterday that the Greek War of Independence, which began in 1821 and would go on to create the modern Greek state we know today--the first unified Greek state every, by the way--was fought in large part by partisans that spoke dialects of Albanian. I hope the irony is not lost on the Greek state of today, which is nursing a widespread dislike for Albanians that might soon rival their long-standing animosity with the Turks.
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Joan Walsh
Kerry Lauerman
Salon.com
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The Albanians that I refer to are the Souliotes, an ethnically Albanian subgroup of Cham Albanians, that spoke a subdialect of the Cham Albanian dialect and lived in modern-day Albania and Greece. They were among the earliest resisters to Ottoman rule in the area, beginning as far back as 1635. They joined the Greek War of Independence at its onset in 1821 and contributed such heroes as Markos Botsaris and Kitsos Tzavelas.
But what is most interesting about the Souliotes and your challenge is how it allows me to talk about shifting identities. The Souliotes were Greek Orthodox Christians, and in the time of the Ottomans--before the ideas of the Enlightenment had truly penetrated and fully permeated the area--identity was a matter of religion. This can be seen in how the Ottomans organized their social classes, both in terms of Ottoman (Muslim, according to the Ottoman Way) versus raya (non-Muslim), and the millets of Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Therefore, the Souliotes would have seen themselves and been seen as Greek Orthodox Christians first and foremost. Because we judge identity in modern times according not just to religion but also ethnicity, language, geographical location, and other considerations, we see the Souliotes as Albanians today. Fascinating. Is it fair to identify them as something they would not have? This is a question that could have much controversy and discussion behind it.