Established | 1 June 1953 |
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Director | Hysen Matoshi |
Location | Rr. Eqrem Çabej p.n. 10.000, Prishtina, Kosovo |
Website | www |
Albanological Institute of Pristina, Albanian: Instituti Albanologjik i Prishtinës or Instituti Albanologjik - Prishtinë, is the main Institute of Albanology in Kosovo. It is an independent public institution. Together with the Centre of Albanological Studies in Tirana, they represent the core scientific research centers on Albanology.
The institute was founded on 1 June 1953, in Pristina, in Autonomous District of Kosovo and Metohija of Yugoslavia. Initially, the staff consisted of four researchers (Ilhami Nimani, Selman Riza, Mehdi Bardhi, and Ali Rexha) and several external collaborators. The Yugoslav authorities terminated the project on 25 December 1955, since they failed to put its activities under censure. The UDBA secret services sequestered all materials.
In the '60s, with the establishment of the University of Prishtina, the Albanological sciences in Kosovo restarted. The institute was reorganized on 28 February 1967, it had a staff of five people. During the first decade of its activities, the institute marked its results in all Albanological fields. A huge effort went into preparing new scientific researchers, and collecting materials on folklore, ethnology, linguistics, etc. A library was established and enriched with a vast number of published titles. With the increase in personnel number and research fields in 1977, the institute moved into its own newly constructed building.
After 1981, with the denigration of the political autonomy of Kosovo, the institute was placed under censure and political control. At the same time, all cooperation with institutions and researchers from Albania was prohibited. Some major projects as Atlasi dialektologjik i të folmeve shqipe (Dialectical Atlas of the Albanian Speakings) and Leksikoni i shkrimtarëve shqiptarë (The lexicon of Albanian writers) remained unfinished.