Interreligious Relations in Albania: A Study of Interreligious Collaboration Center in Elbasan

The leaders of religious communities in present-day Albania do not limit themselves to the tradition of paying visits to each other during religious holidays. Rather they have made further steps in developing and institutionalizing the collaboration between them. One example of this is the Interreligious Collaboration Center (IRCC) in Elbasan. Taking this case, the thesis aims to examine how interreligious collaboration ventures contribute to shaping relations between state and religions, relations between different religious communities and, more generally, the conditions of presence of religions in the public sphere. The study reveals the contribution interreligious cooperation ventures, such as the IRCC in Elbasan, make in shaping the secular context. The IRCC’s work is founded on a normative vision of interreligious relations; “extremism”, “religious phobia”, and lack of education are factors that are considered detrimental to fostering such relations. The IRCC has managed to create significant relations with state institutions, collaborates with them in the field of human rights and religion-based discrimination, and has positioned itself as an influential stakeholder facilitating state-society interaction. In addition to legal documents, media reports on religious and interreligious issues and publications by the IRCC, the study is based on three interviews conducted with members of the executive board of the IRCC.