Zachou, Chryssanthi and Kerpaci, Kalie (2010) God’s “Second Coming”: Youth and New Religious Movements in Post-Communist Albania. In: XVII ISA World Conference on Sociology, Research Committee 22 Sociology of Religion, 11-17 July 2010, Gothenburg, Sweden. (Unpublished)
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Since the early 1990’s, Albania has moved from the stage of indoctrination into atheism to a period of religious revival. The end of the Communist era discredited Hoxha’s ideology of “Albanianism” as the “state’s official religion” and brought about a series of rapid political and broader social changes, which activated a radical reorientation in people’s lives individually and collectively. As a result, many Albanians (re)discovered religion. In a cultural terrain formerly dominated by Islam, Orthodox Christianity and as the two main transcendental axes of a traditional society, new religious movements ( i.e. Jehovah’s Witness, Adventists, Mormons) and all types of protestant groups (i.e. Campus Crusaders, Baptists) mushroomed in Albania. They established foundations and Christian Colleges and over hundred congregations, in cities and remote villages, in an effort to “evangelize” the former “Muslim” segments of the population. Protestant missionaries from USA and Europe engaged in “church planting”, targeting the recruitment of youth. Special programs and events, youth activities and performances, radio broadcasts and concerts, magazines and pamphlets were used as strategies to attract young Albanians. This paper explores the reasons of success of these NRM organizations in relation to: (a) the contrasted political and socio-cultural frames of the old and new Albania, (b) the context of modernity and globalization. The paper places its focus on the appeal of western protestant doctrines on youth within the parameters of their life-world in Albania.
| Item Type: | Conference or Workshop Item (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Divisions: | Balkan countries > Albania |
| Depositing User: | Katharina Penner |
| Date Deposited: | 15 Jul 2025 04:11 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Jul 2025 04:11 |
| URI: | https://ceeamsprints.osims.org/id/eprint/3193 |
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