Who Are the Arvanites?
The Arvanites are a population group of Albanian origin in Greece, primarily concentrated in Attica (including greater Athens), the Peloponnese, Euboea, Boeotia, and several Aegean islands. Estimates vary widely—from 50,000 to potentially 1.6 million people with Arvanite ancestry—though only a fraction speak Arvanitika, an Albanian dialect. They descend from Albanian Christians who migrated to depopulated Greek lands during the medieval period (13th-16th centuries). Despite Albanian linguistic origin, Arvanites have identified as Greek for centuries, played crucial roles in Greek independence, and reject classification as a minority. Their situation illustrates how linguistic heritage and national identity can diverge.
Medieval Migration
Albanian settlers arrived in Greek lands during the late Byzantine and early Ottoman periods, invited by Byzantine and Latin rulers to repopulate areas devastated by wars, plagues, and demographic decline. Migrations intensified from the 13th-15th centuries. Arvanites settled agricultural lands, formed military colonies, and gradually integrated into Greek society while maintaining Albanian speech. The Orthodox Christian faith—shared with Greeks—facilitated integration, distinguishing them from Muslim Albanians in Ottoman service. By the early modern period, Arvanites comprised significant portions of central and southern Greek populations, though they gradually adopted Greek identity alongside language maintenance.
Greek Identity
Arvanites have emphatically identified as Greeks, not Albanian minorities, for centuries. They played disproportionate roles in the Greek War of Independence (1821-1830); many revolutionary heroes—including naval commanders and guerrilla fighters—were Arvanite. This sacrifice for Greek nationhood cemented their Greek identity. In the modern Greek nation-state, Arvanites assimilated into Greek national identity; speaking Arvanitika was consistent with being Greek, not evidence of being Albanian. Unlike other linguistic minorities in Greece, Arvanites have generally rejected minority status, viewing themselves as Greeks who happen to speak an additional heritage language. This self-identification challenges theories connecting language to nationality.
Contemporary Arvanites
Modern Arvanite communities have largely shifted to Greek monolingualism. Arvanitika is classified as "severely endangered" by UNESCO; most remaining speakers are elderly. Language transmission ceased in most families by the mid-20th century as education, urbanization, and national integration progressed. No Arvanite language movement comparable to other European minorities exists because Arvanites do not seek minority recognition—they are Greek. Some scholarly and cultural initiatives document Arvanitika for historical and linguistic purposes. Villages in Attica, Boeotia, and the Peloponnese retain Arvanite heritage consciousness without necessarily retaining language. The Arvanite case demonstrates how populations can maintain distinct heritage while wholly embracing a different national identity—ancestry and language need not determine nationality.
References
- Trudgill, P. & Tzavaras, G. (1977). Why Albanian-Greeks Are Not Albanians
- Sella-Mazi, E. (1997). The Arvanites of Greece
- Botsi, E. (2003). Die sprachliche Selbst- und Fremdidentifikation der Arvaniten