The Democratization of Albania: Democracy from Within

196 Pages·2010·4.62 MB·English

by  Theodore Kaltsounis (auth.)

The Democratization of Albania
Previous Publications
Theodore Kaltsounis, Teaching Social Studies in the Elementary
School (1969).
Theodore Kaltsounis (with Celia Stendler Lavatelli and Walter J.
Moore), Elementary School Curriculum (1972).
Theodore Kaltsounis, Teaching Social Studies in the Elementary
School: The Basics for Citizenship, First and Second Editions (1979
and 1987).
Theodore Kaltsounis, The World and Its People: States and Regions,
First and Second Editions (1982 and 1986).
Theodore Kaltsounis, Geography of States and Regions (1988).
The Democratization of
Albania
Democracy from Within
Theodore Kaltsounis
Palgrave
macmillan
THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF ALBANIA
Copyright © Theodore Kaltsounis, 2010.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2010
All rights reserved.
First published in 2010 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above c ompanies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-28915-8 ISBN 978-0-230-11038-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230110380
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kaltsounis, Theodore.
The democratization of Albania / Theodore Kaltsounis.
p. cm.
ISBN 978–0–230–10458–7 (alk. paper)
1. Democracy—Albania. 2. Democratization—Albania. 3. Albania—
Politics and government. I. Title.
JN9689.A15K35 2009
320.94965—dc22 2009052012
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: August 2010
This book is dedicated
to my grandchildren
Christina
Ariana
Nicholas
Theodore
Andrew
Alexander
May they grow to become strong democracy builders.
Contents
Foreword ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1 The Burden of the Past and Dreaming Democracy 9
2 Building Relationships and Exploring Curriculum 27
3 Selecting Leaders and Defining Basic Concepts 45
4 Teaching, Learning, and Teacher’s Guides 65
5 Publishing the Materials and Starting a Network 81
6 Expanding the Network and Addressing Feedback 97
7 Network Strengthening through the Universities 113
8 Evaluating and Concluding the Project 129
9 Democratization and Albania’s Experiment 143
10 Presenting a New Model for Albania and Beyond 157
Notes 175
Index 183
Foreword
T
heodore Kaltsounis has written a timely, important, and inspir-
ing book. In a time when so many hopes for democracy around
the world have been dashed, The Democratization of Albania:
Democracy from Within, will raise the spirits of democracy activ-
ists everywhere.
Kaltsounis presents the story of the gradual democratic trans-
formation of post-communist Albania—long one of the poorest
countries in Europe, which suffered for decades under a particu-
larly brutal Leninist dictatorship. This case study turns out to have
multiple lessons for everyone interested in democratic reform.
First, Kaltsounis shows the profound impact of civic educa-
tion on democratic participation, particularly among the young.
In a period when social scientists have focused on the design of
formal constitutions and electoral institutions as determinants of
democracy, rather than longer-term changes in political culture,
Kaltsounis’s emphasis on education is a refreshing and welcome
corrective.
Second, notwithstanding its subtitle, Democracy from Within
also helps us understand much more clearly just what Western
policymakers can do to support democracy “from without.”
Specifically, by targeting external grant funds to support princi-
pled teachers who support civic education in schools and universi-
ties in multiple regions over an extended period—instead of simply
providing short-term aid to savvy operatives in the capital city, as
so many failed efforts at democratization assistance have done in
the past—Western donors can provide a crucial sense of security
to key individuals within otherwise isolated democratic activist
networks.
Third, Kaltsounis’s book illustrates a remarkable personal jour-
ney on the part of the author, who left Albania as a child and
who later became a noted scholar of civic education in the United
x Foreword
States. When the fall of communism in central and Eastern Europe
allowed him to apply all the knowledge he has developed over his
scholarly career, he eagerly embraced the challenge. The positive
effect of Kaltsounis’s two decades work in Albania thus clearly
shows that the fate of democracy depends not only on favorable
geography or socioeconomic factors—but also on the actions of
committed individuals such as the author himself.
Stephen E. Hanson
Herbert J. Ellison Professor of Political Science and
Vice Provost for Global Affairs
University of Washington, Seattle
Acknowledgments
T
here are two groups of people that made this book possible:
those in Albania who stood by me and contributed immensely in
building the extensive democratization network in that country;
and those closer to home who with their inspiration, support, and
expertise helped make the project and this book possible.
I am grateful to the Albanian educators, including those in the
universities, who opened their hearts and minds and accepted me
and my proposals. The same is true of the country’s authorities, and
my leadership team of Albanian scholars, especially Dr. Marjana
Sinani and Dr. Milika Dhamo, whose overwhelming commit-
ment to the project is exemplary. Whatever has been achieved, it is
also their achievement. It was their contributions—coming from
within the country—that allowed the project to succeed. I will
never forget that the spark for the project came out of discussions
with Dr. John Louton, the then cultural officer of the American
Embassy in Tirana. I am also grateful to the U.S. Department of
State for funding the project, but more importantly, for its person-
nel’s trust in me.
The book is a reflection of the successes we experienced in
Albania, but neither the project nor the book would have been
possible without the support and contributions of my colleagues
at the University of Washington and that of my family and friends.
Especially, I am most appreciative for the advice I received from
my good friend and colleague Professor Norris Haring during
the development of the project. His support was continuous and
significant. Similarly, the book might have not happened with-
out the encouragement of Professor Stephen E. Hanson, a distin-
guished colleague in the Department of Political Science. He saw
the potential of the project and insisted that I write the book. His
advice in the development of the manuscript was valuable.