Editorial

Editorial The latest monothematic issue of the Studia Ethnologica Pragensia (volume 10, issue2, 2019) concentrates primarily on ethnology and folklore studies in Albania and Kosovo— not only through the study of the respective societies, cultures and phenomena, but also through the presence of works by contemporary authors with Albanian background which form the core of this issue. Albeit, at this point, it ultimately did not prove to be possible to make use of this opportunity and also showcase anumber of studies regarding the topic created by Czech specialists with interest in this area, the works ultimately presented in this issue pertain to some of the most relevant topics connected to it. This includes not only acritical assessment of the discourse of ethnography in Albania proper during the times of socialism and the continuation and development of folklore studies in Kosovo, but also other phenomena: firstly, Albanian migration through the Albanian diaspora (which has been astrong phenomenon for avery long time and the continuous expanding of which also became a“signature” mark of both past and present Albanian society), and secondly, also continuity and transmission of traditions and values in contemporary times (which is understandably not related to the region itself exclusively). As was briefly mentioned above, the first paper presented in the journal, written by Arbnora Dushi, deals with the historical difficulties and development of folklore studies in Kosovo, primary in regards to the Folklore Department at the Institute of Albanology in Prishtina and its special role in regards to academic treatment of Albanian folklore. Even though these were in afar more lively contact with the outside world than their counterpart in Albania proper, they were nevertheless affected by the unstable political situation in the region and only opened up to wider trends and influences in the 2000s. The second contribution by Albanian anthropologist Albert Doja is apivotal text, which, even though it has been indeed already published elsewhere, is agreatly welcomed addition to this issue. It critically deals with an entanglement of politics and knowledge and the whole past discourse of Albanian ethnology (or ethnography respectively), which has long been formed and influenced by the political and ideological context of socialist Albania and used to construct anotion of uniqueness in regards to Albanian national identity— and has only relatively recently (during the 1990s) begun to draw closer to the discourse of Western social and cultural anthropology. OPEN ACCESS 6 STUDIA ETHNOLOGICA PRAGENSIA 2/2019 The third and fourth paper in this issue were provided by Kosovar Albanian scholars Lumnije Kadriu and Leontina Gega-Musa. The first one of these two by L.Kadriu is dealing with the history and present state of Albanian diaspora, different concepts of diaspora in general (also in regards to varying historical connotations) and also to the conception of Albanian diaspora itself. Last but not least it draws from aprevious field research and pertains to the question of national identity of Kosovar Albanians as perceived, manifested and preserved in the diaspora. The second of these two papers by L.Gega-Musa reaches out of aparticular ethnic context and explores recent influences on the transmission of values and traditions (such as digital technologies), their context and also the transformation of rites which are connected to these processes. This issue also contains two other papers related to Albanians thematically. Through archival materials and available literature, the first one of them presents and analyses previously unreflected amateur ethnography conducted in the Northern Albanian mountains by Czech writer and teacher Karel Sellner, who resided there for an extended period during the during the First World War as an Austro-Hungarian military engineer (while it also pertains to the historical and geopolitical context of the given period). The second of these two contributions yet again pertains to Albanian diaspora (this time largely to the one that is present in the Czech Republic) and by means of afield research, it attempts to shed new light on the life of Albanian women in regards to modern society and the legacy of the traditional one. Robert Dobra OPEN ACCESS