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...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
George Fox University
2020
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| In: |
Occasional papers on religion in Eastern Europe
Year: 2020, Volume: 40, Issue: 6, Pages: 93-109 |
| Further subjects: | B
Atheism
B Enver Hoxha B Religion B Security B Albania |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | 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. |
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| ISSN: | 2693-2148 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Occasional papers on religion in Eastern Europe
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