Albanian Assemblies and Odes in Conflict Resolution

Abstract

Throughout the historical developments of Albanians, the opinion has been encountered that Albanians have a tendency not to get along with each other. This opinion has been spread by historians, philosophers, writers and journalists of different countries, especially neighboring ones. Researchers from other countries, especially neighboring countries, have tried and are still trying to reason that "Albanians have a conflicting gene", that "Albanians' souls have been possessed by the demon of revenge that does not allow them to be understood" that "intolerance does not allow Albanians to reach an agreement" etc. These thoughts are dangerous, because they take on a political meaning and become systems of concepts and ideas with an aggressiveness to the point of racism for the purposes of divisions and conquests. The work aims to provide historical data on how Albanians, in order to resolve conflicts, have talked in chambers and convened in assemblies, forgiving the bloodshed when the homeland was in danger. The purpose of the paper is to show the historical tradition of the Albanians of the assembly, to put patriotic interests above everything else, in the war against the invader. The institutionalization of the assembly, the ode, has functioned as a circuit, radiating through waves, which expand and close within a new circuit, when the homeland is in danger. The documented geohistorical map of the extent of the assembly outlines the spatial and temporal lines, in the South and the North, but is more present in Northern Albania. Archival documents show that in the odes of the assemblies, where popular leaders gathered, they resolved conflicts, shed blood, and pledged allegiance in the war against the invader.   Received: 16 January 2023 / Accepted: 18 March 2023 / Published: 20 March 2023