FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
American archaeologists working at US universities have expressed their opposition to the merger of the Academy of Albanological Studies (AAS) in a letter.
Through the letter, they call on the government to review this decision and express their respect for the cooperation they have made over the years with Albanian archaeologists.
"We, the undersigned, with this letter express our strong opposition to the unilateral plan of the Albanian government to dissolve the Academy of Albanian Studies (AAS), including the Institute of Archeology and rebuild it within the Academy of Sciences.
We are archaeologists working at universities in the United States of America or at institutions affiliated with the United States of America. We have carried out archaeological cooperation in Albania, with archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology, for many decades. We feel qualified to judge this plan and its possible effects on the practice of archaeological research in Albania in general and in collaboration with archaeologists.
We are concerned that archaeologists at the Institute of Archeology have not been fully consulted on this plan, which will greatly affect them and their ability to carry out their work.
Moving the AAS and the Institute of Archeology into the Academy of Sciences without mutual agreement will add a layer of bureaucracy and oversight, stifling academic freedom and innovative research. The effects of this plan on the resources, budgets and personnel of the Institute of Archeology have not been fully disclosed.
For these reasons, we strongly encourage the Albanian government to reconsider the plan regarding the future of the AAS and to engage its members in open discussions on how best to support them, so that Albanological studies in Albania, including archaeology, can reach its full potential.
In recent years, Albanian archaeology, led by the archaeologists of the Institute of Archaeology, has taken its rightful place on the international stage. We are concerned that moving the AAS to the Academy of Sciences will disrupt this new sense of momentum.
In 2021, the Cultural Property Agreement for the protection of the Albanian archaeological heritage was signed with the United States. This memorandum will bring more, not less, interest and investment in Albanian archeology from American archaeologists. In response, the Albanian government should expand the opportunities for cooperation between Americans and Albanian archaeologists, within an independent institute dedicated to the purity of archaeological research, while not limiting such opportunities.
Kur ka mundësi për bashkëpunim të hapur mes amerikanëve dhe arkeologëve shqiptarëve, gjëra të mira ndodhin. Për shembull, shfaqen artefakte shqiptare në Mbretërit e Parë të Evropës, një ekspozitë ndërkombëtare që u hap kohët e fundit në Muzeun e Historisë Natyrore në Çikago, Illinois. Çdo komb në Ballkan po merr pjesë në këtë ekspozitë, përfshirë Shqipërinë, dhe pjesëmarrja e Shqipërisë nuk do të kishte ndodhur pa lidhjet e krijuara midis arkeologëve amerikanë dhe shqiptarë në Institutin e Arkeologjisë. Sipas mendimit tonë, nisur nga suksesi i kësaj ekspozite, Instituti i Arkeologjisë, stafi duhet të ishte lavdëruar për punën dhe përkushtimin e tyre të palodhur, jo t’i nënshtrohej një plani për shpërbërjen dhe riorganizimin që ata vetë nuk kanë pranuar kurrë.
To conclude, we wrote this letter because we remain excited and committed to Albanian archaeology. Our colleagues at the Albanian Institute of Archeology have shared with us the outstanding archaeological heritage of Albania, allowing us to participate in its study is an honor and privilege that we can never fully repay. We hope that the plan regarding the future of AAS and the Academy of Sciences will be revised and an honest dialogue will be held about the future of Albania", the letter of the archaeologists in the USA reads.
Lini një Përgjigje