Join us at DePaul University for a fascinating evening dedicated to the history and culture of the Arbëreshë – the Albanian-speaking minority community that has lived in Southern and Insular Italy since the 15th century, and in the US for over a century. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet and engage with our special guests Francesca Olivieri – director of Arbëria, the first artistic movie on the Arbëreshë in the history of Italian cinematography – and Giovanni Braico, director of the AMAR: AMERICARBËRESHE project dedicated to the study, preservation, and promotion of the language and culture of the Arbëreshë.
The Arbëreshë are an Albanian ethnolinguistic group who settled in Southern and Insular Italy mainly between the 14th and 18th centuries, fleeing the Ottoman invasion of the Balkans. They have maintained their distinct identity through their language, religious rite (Byzantine-rite within the Roman Catholic communion), traditional costumes, art, and gastronomy. In the modern era of romantic nationalism in Europe (late 18th century to the mid-19th century) the Arbëreshë contributed significantly toward the creation of the Albanian national imagined community while participating actively in the Italian national unification movement (Risorgimento). At the end of the 19th century, many Arbëreshë, especially from Southern Italy, were part of the mass migration of Italians to the US. As Margherita Ganeri writes: “the mass emigration of the Arbëreshë stands out as a unique phenomenon: it is a diaspora within a diaspora, of great historical and cultural interest, due to the specific identity traits that come into play in the mechanisms of adaptation to new contexts”.
The Arbëreshë constitute a community that has always existed at the crossroads of identities, languages, and traditions, fascinating still to anthropologists, historians, and artists. The Hidai “Eddie” Bregu Annual Memorial Lecture is held in memory and honor of Mr. Hidai “Eddie” Bregu, an exceptional personality of the Albanian American community, founder and namesake of the DePaul Albanian Studies.
The event coincides with and celebrates the Week of the Italian Language in the World.
PROGRAM
Reception: 6PM – 6:10PM
Lecture: 6:10PM – 6:50PM
Dr. Giovanni Braico: “The Italian-Albanian diaspora in the New World”
Movie Screening: 7:00-8:20
Arbëria, directed by Francesca Olivieri
Round table and Q&A: 8:20PM-8:50PM
Dr. Gazmend Kapllani (Albanian Studies director) and Dr. Caterina Mongiat-Farina (Italian Program director) discuss with Francesca Olivieri & Dr. Giovanni Braico, and moderate Q&A with audience.
Coffee and refreshments will be served
RSVP by October 10, 2025
at gkapllan@depaul.edu