Myrto DAGKOULI-KYRIAKOGLOU, Malmo University, Institute for Urban Research, Sweden
The first Albanian migrants arrive in Greece in the 1990s taking residence in large and medium size urban centers as well as the countryside and they constitute the largest ethnic minority in Greece up to now. These emigrants worked hard to acquire the financial means to provide for their families while homeownership seemed to be one of the main goals for them, including investments both in Albania and Greece. Simultaneously, Albanians preserved their culture and ethics strong even abroad. Family and house are two interconnected concepts that affect their everyday life and decisions. In this paper, the Albanian family housing strategies and housing practices are explored in connection with family and kin culture as well as their migration pathway. Moreover, as these people, even though incorporated (this obviously differs in each case) in the host society, still maintain links mental, cultural but also material with their country of origin, their transnational housing strategies are investigated in both the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ country.
Mots clés : Albanian|Greece|family|housing|gender
A102503MD