State-Sponsored Atheism: The Case of Albania during the Enver Hoxha Era

This study analyzes how Enver Hoxha tried to abolish religions in Albania during the communist era. I argue that if atheism is not politicized and not exerted by force, its materialist damage is less. Yet, when atheization becomes a state policy and the government executes clergy, oppresses pious pe...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Karataş, İbrahim (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Publié: 2020
Dans: Occasional papers on religion in Eastern Europe
Année: 2020, Volume: 40, Numéro: 6, Pages: 93-109
Sujets non-standardisés:B Atheism
B Enver Hoxha
B Religion
B Security
B Albania
Accès en ligne: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Résumé:This study analyzes how Enver Hoxha tried to abolish religions in Albania during the communist era. I argue that if atheism is not politicized and not exerted by force, its materialist damage is less. Yet, when atheization becomes a state policy and the government executes clergy, oppresses pious people, and destroys mosques and churches for the sake of atheism, irreligion then becomes a matter of state security. The study contends that when atheism is applied by force, atheist fundamentalism, which is no different than the religious version, emerges. Thus, irreligion becomes a threat to people’s lives and destroys society as in the case of Hoxha’s Albania. The study aims to shed light on the oppression stemming from adherence to non-belief.
ISSN:2693-2148
Contient:Enthalten in: Occasional papers on religion in Eastern Europe