The fundamental misconception of the Balkan ethnology: The “Illyrian” theory of the Albanian ethnogenesis

Abstract

Illyrian theory of the ethnic origin of the Albanians (created by the German and the Austrian scholars) became purposely the most popular theory of the Albanian nation’s derivation among the majority of Albanian scholars, politicians and intellectuals.2 The crucial and concluding point of this theory is that the Albanians are not only an authentic nation (ethnolinguistic group) of the Balkans, but the oldest, aboriginal and autochthonous one in this part of Europe. As a result, the Albanians’ South Slavic neighbors (the Serbs, Montenegrins,3 and Macedonian Slavs) in contrast to the “indigenous” Albanians are just “newcomers” to the Balkans who arrived at this peninsula “only” at the turn of the 7th century CE.4 Therefore, their ethnicity and nationality are much more recent than that of the Albanians.5 Subsequently, “historical rights” of the Balkan “autochthonous” Albanian population on certain disputed Balkan territories (primarily between the Albanians and the South Slavs but also and between the Albanians and the Greeks) are stronger, more justifiable and historically more deeply rooted than the “historical rights” of the Serbs, Montenegrins or Macedonian Slavs.6 For that reason, it is expected that a “democratic” West will support the “justifiable” Albanian imperialistic territorial claims framed by the nationalistic idea of a united Greater Albania.