Page 46 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 11(2) (2023)

On the Greek side, the massive investment out this period, the heterogeneous groups that
in the Northern Epirus theme by the neo-Nazi formed frontier society had to position them-
party Golden Dawn, which has seen numerous selves according to political turbulences, some-
electoral successes since the start of the financial times despite other long-term realities, and their
crisis, has also led to protests in the border re- sense of belonging was gradually reshaped by
gion. In September 2013, a Greek neo-Nazi MP, dominant simplifying discourses. What is more,
Christos Papas, declared during a blockade of these transformations have had numerous conse-
the Kakavia border post between the two coun- quences for the presence of several communities
tries: “We have come to this artificial border to whose fate has been upturned by the new polit-
affirm our struggle for the liberation of North- ical realities of this contested border. This is the
ern Epirus” (i.e., Southern Albania). In 2013, case, for example, of various Albanian-speaking
members of this same party tried to establish a groups from Epirus who found themselves in
46 branch of their movement in the city of Hima- Greek territory from 1912 onwards, and whose
ra in Southern Albania, where the presence of a stories will be discussed in this text. In this way,
Greek minority is subject to debate, sparking a this Greco-Albanian example was a good illus- ti
studia universitatis hereditati, letnik 11 (2023), številka 2 / volume 11 (2023), number 2
strong reaction from the population and the po- tration of a “world of sovereign states [...] divided
lice. On all of these points, solutions do not seem by boundaries” (Taylor 1993, 164), where states
to have been found yet, and public opinion ap- play a dominant role in the territory homogene-
pears to be increasingly sensitive to them. This ity, and borders are a key medium for exercising ta
same distrust is reflected on the border from the territoriality, practicing sovereignty, and main-
start of the migrant crisis in the summer of 2015 taining socio-spatial control (Agnew 2009). Fur-
since, starting from March 20, 2016, and at the thermore, the border serves as a powerful tool
request of the authorities in Tirana, Italian po- for the process of “spatial socialization” (Paa-
lice officers came to reinforce their Albanian si 1996), meaning the imposition of identity dis- di
counterparts on the country’s southern border courses as it is a crucial element of state territo-
due to the anticipated uncontrolled flow of mi- ry. From this standpoint, the border landscape is
grants from the Greek-Macedonian border to It- the instrument and expression of the territorial-
aly through Albania. Although these transfers ity used to govern state spaces (Paasi 2012), rein-
did not materialize, largely due to the significant forcing the national community as a distinct and
reduction in entries into Greece, this Italian-Al- enclosed entity.
banian collaboration is indicative of the tension However, nowadays, the development of here
with Greece on the border issue. cross-border and transnational processes that
are increasingly significant questions the links
Research Problem between national spaces and people’s identities
Obviously, these historical developments have (Gupta and Ferguson 1992). As Massey (1995)
not been without effect on the populations liv- stated, borders are more and more crossed in
ing in the regions around the Greek-Albanian the current world characterized by connections.
border. They have been massively affected by the This perspective suggests that borders are not an-
powerful polarization movements implied local- ymore to be found only in border areas, but they
ly by the application of national discourses. In are located in broader social practices and soci-
this perspective, the Greco-Albanian borderland eties, and increasingly even in the global space
is an illustrative case of what Michel Roux (2001) (Amilhat Szary and Fourny 2006; Häkli and
calls “identity capture”, i.e. the alignment of lo- Kaplan 2002; Newman and Paasi 1998; Pope- studiauniversitatis
cal particularities through the simplification/ scu 2011; Wastl-Walter 2012; Wilson and Don-
structuring of discourses of belonging around nan 2012). But, on a local level, people who live
binary oppositions between nations. Through- in relation to borders are highly determined by