The Arbёresh Culture: an Ace in the Hole, in the Heart Of
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THE ARBЁRESH CULTURE: AN ACE IN THE HOLE, IN THE HEART OF CALABRIA by Edna Lubonja A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL December 2017 Copyright by Edna Lubonja 2017 ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to express sincere gratitude to her committee members for all their guidance and support, and special thanks to my advisor for her persistence, patience and encouragement during the writing of this manuscript. The author is grateful to college of Arts & Letters for providing financial support to conduct the study. Last, but not least, the author wishes to thank all the locals of the Arbëresh towns in Calabria who were extremely friendly and helpful in providing research contacts. iv ABSTRACT Author: Edna Lubonja Title: The Arbëresh Culture: An Ace in the Hole, in the Heart of Calabria Institution: Florida Atlantic University Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Ilaria Serra Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Year: 2017 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. v THE ARBЁRESH CULTURE: AN ACE IN THE HOLE, IN THE HEART OF CALABRIA LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ xii INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 HISTORY OF THE ARBËRESH PEOPLE ..................................................................... 17 Scanderbeg and the Beginnings of the Arbëresh Community ...................................... 20 The Arbëresh’s Contribution to the Risorgimento ........................................................ 26 The Arbëresh Today ...................................................................................................... 30 Arbëresh Literature Progression.................................................................................... 32 THE ARBËRESH AND MINOR LITERATURE. CARMINE ABATE, AN ITALIAN AUTHOR OR AN ETHNIC AUTHOR? .................................................................. 36 What is Minor Literature? ............................................................................................. 40 ARBËRESH CULTURAL UTOPIA AND CARMINE ABATE’S NOVELS ................ 49 The Arbëresh Utopia ..................................................................................................... 49 Le Stagioni di Hora: Carmine Abate’s Puzzle of History-Myth-Present ..................... 51 Hora and Carfizzi (Myth and Reality) .......................................................................... 55 Past-Present in Il Mosaico del tempo grande ................................................................ 63 Nani Lissandro: Linkage of Grandfather-Grandchild ................................................... 71 Zonia Elena: Women’s Role in Arbëresh Culture ........................................................ 73 Besa, bir, drita: The Arbëresh Language ...................................................................... 79 vi Orlandina’s Wedding: Rhapsodies, Songs and Performances ...................................... 81 Scandergbeg as a Hero in La Moto di Scanderbeg ....................................................... 86 Food as Identity and Memory: Il banchetto di nozze e altri sapori .............................. 89 ARBËRESH CULTURE HOLDING ON UTOPIA ...................................................... 104 Finding Arbëresh Culture in Written and Oral Narratives .......................................... 104 Pino Cacozza and his Constribution in Promoting the Arbëresh Culture ................... 108 Documentaries as a Source of Cultural Representation .............................................. 119 THE ARBËRESH OF CALABRIA AND THEIR “CONFESSIONS” ......................... 125 The Voices of the Arbëresh ......................................................................................... 128 Federico Braile ............................................................................................................ 128 Carmela Oliva ............................................................................................................. 129 Vicky Makri ................................................................................................................ 131 Prof. Adrianno Mazziotti............................................................................................. 134 Angela Castellano ....................................................................................................... 137 Prof. Lily Gradilone Paloli .......................................................................................... 138 Pessimistic Voices: Tarantino, Chimento and Campagna .......................................... 139 Hevzi Nuhiu ................................................................................................................ 142 Deciko Genaro............................................................................................................. 145 Salvatore Laminata ...................................................................................................... 147 Papas Andrea Quartarolo ............................................................................................ 148 In Lungro with Anna Stratigò ..................................................................................... 156 ARBËRESH CULTURE AS POSSIBLE HETEROTOPIA .......................................... 172 Migration Weakens the Arbëresh Utopia .................................................................... 175 vii The Absent Father Figure ............................................................................................ 180 Ambiguity of the Immigrant (A Transitory State of Mind) ........................................ 185 CONCLUSION AND FINAL THOUGHTS .................................................................. 193 APPENDIX ..................................................................................................................... 202 Interviews .................................................................................................................... 202 WORKS CITED ............................................................................................................. 206 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 This map dates back in the XV century showing the fleeing of the Albanians towards Italy .............................................................................................. 17 Figure 2 The Sculpture of the National Hero Scanderbeg ................................................ 19 Figure 3 Scanderbeg's stronghold castle in Kruja, Albania .............................................. 49 Figure 4 This picture is taken during summer 2016 as I was on my way to meet with author, Carmine Abate. ............................................................................................... 56 Figure 5 The sign of Carfizzi, Calabria ............................................................................ 56 Figure 6 Windmills by Carfizzi. This picture was taking during summer 2016. .............. 57 Figure 7 This picture was taken during summer 2016 from the balcony of Parco Letterario Carmine Abate. .......................................................................................... 58 Figure 8 The statue of Scanderbeg fround in the main piazza of San Demetrio Corone, Calabria. ........................................................................................................ 58 Figure 9 Statue of Gerolamo De Rada and the street dedicated to his name. These pictures were taking during summer 2016 in Macchia Albanese, Calabria. .............. 59 Figure 10 Picture taken from web site prolocodicivita.it : a kulaçi, a desert from the Arbëresh town of Cività. ............................................................................................. 95 Figure 11 Mustacualli, an Arbëresh desert from the town of Cività, used on weddings, as seen on this picture. ............................................................................... 95 Figure 12 Fried dough Arbëresh deserts. .........................................................................