Belonging in ‘kurbet’? Geographies of Albanian migration in contemporary art practices

Abstract

Since 1991, thousands of Albanians have been compelled to seek new homes in kurbet (migrant places), often navigating xenophobia, racism and structural exclusion in host countries. This sustained migration has shaped not only Albania’s recent history but also the socio-cultural and political landscapes of its destination countries. While previous research has explored the political, social and economic dimensions of Albanian migration, the cultural production emerging from these locations of mobility and displacement remains critically underexplored. This article addresses this gap by examining how Albanian migration has shaped contemporary art production, and how artistic practices, in turn, engage with the geographies of migration. Drawing on debates in cultural geography, art and migration studies, it analyses how Albanian artists of the first and second generations negotiate issues of identity, collective memory and belonging through visual practices that are both spatial and embodied. The article argues that Albanian diaspora produces invisible, affective and political geographies that often escape dominant discourses on migration.

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ORCID for Dimitra Gkitsa: orcid.org/0000-0003-3681-6047

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