FLASH
Shkruar nga Prof.dr. Skënder Asani
The transformation of Milan Shuflaj's archive into a protected heritage of European cultural and documentary heritage would constitute an act of multiple scientific, identity and diplomatic importance. Such an initiative would materialize institutional respect for his contribution to the scientific argumentation of Albanian historical continuity and in the building of academic bridges between the Albanian and Croatian worlds, while reflecting the traditional friendship with the Croatian people.
In the history of European historiographical thought on the Balkans, the figure of Milan Šufflay represents an epistemological turning point where Albanology, European archives and critical historiography are intertwined in a common scientific project. His contribution is not limited to the study of the Albanian Middle Ages, but extends to the creation of a research paradigm that placed Albanian history at the center of European archival documentation, shifting it from ideological interpretations towards the analysis of authentic sources. In this way, Albanology was conceived as part of European knowledge and not as a peripheral discipline of Balkan studies.
The research of the archival fund of Milan Šufflay, preserved in the State Archives of Croatia, testifies to a vast documentary and methodological universe. Manuscripts, paleographic files, scientific correspondence and unfinished projects reveal a great intellectual enterprise that aimed to build the history of Albania on the basis of documents from medieval chancelleries and archives of Vienna, Budapest, Venice, Dubrovnik and Rome. This archival network placed Albanian history within the circulation of medieval European civilization and argued for the historical continuity of the Albanian element in the Balkan space. For me personally, the many years of research of this fund have been a special intellectual and emotional experience: the direct touch of source materials, scientific research, correspondence and original relations with official Tirana creates a feeling of closeness to the process of building historical knowledge and to the effort to argue Albanian history on the basis of authentic documents and the scientific method.
The publication of the monumental work Acta et diplomata res Albaniae mediae aetatis illustrantia marks a methodological turning point in Albanological studies. Through the critical publication of medieval documents, Šufflay and his collaborators shifted the historiographical debate from political narratives to the analysis of primary sources. This scholarly intervention created a new research standard and a powerful counterweight to interpretations that denied the historical continuity of Illyrian-Arbër-Albanian. Albanian cities, ecclesiastical institutions, trade networks and diplomatic relations appear in his studies as part of a broader European civilizational system, overthrowing the concept of the historical isolation of Albanians.
An important dimension of his activity is the dialogue with the Albanian intellectual elite of the time. Correspondence with the state institutions of the Albanian Kingdom and with Lumo Skendo testifies to his involvement in the project of compiling a complete history of the Albanian people. In this interaction between European archives and Albanian intellectual thought, Albanology takes on the dimension of cultural diplomacy and national historical awareness.
In methodological terms, Šufflay represents the model of the historian-archivist who builds historical narrative on critical analysis of the document. The systematic use of paleography, diplomacy, chronology and comparative historiography created a new standard for Balkan studies and made his work a reference point for modern Albanology. In a broader sense, his activity can be read as intellectual resistance to the political instrumentalization of history in the Balkans of the early 20th century.
The memorial context of the anniversary of his assassination in Zagreb in 1931 restores Šufflay's figure not only as a scholar, but as a symbol of European academic freedom. His assassination was perceived as a blow against knowledge and scientific criticism, provoking international reactions, among which the reaction of Albert Einstein stands out, who raised this event to the level of concern for the fate of intellectuals in Europe. The memory of this act of violence carries an emotional and ethical dimension: it recalls that scientific research and the defense of historical truth have often required intellectual courage and personal sacrifice.
The anniversaries of the assassination, commemorated by the Albanian community in Croatia and by academic circles, have transformed his figure into a cultural symbol of Albanian-European relations. This collective memory connects Albanology with the moral responsibility of science and the role of archives in protecting historical identity. In this dimension, the figure of Milan Šufflay transcends the boundaries of historiography and becomes part of the European academic conscience. In recent years, I had the honor of participating in the marking of this anniversary, in the presence of Croatian diplomats and official authorities, where I emphasized that the Albanian people owe a historical debt to this figure for his extraordinary contribution to the scientific argumentation of the uninterrupted autochthonousness of Albanians in their ethnic lands. This contribution took on particular weight in a period when projects and plans were being drafted that aimed not only at the undoing of history, but also at the physical disappearance of the Albanian population from its ethnic space, an intellectual resistance that he paid with his life. In this sense, his commemoration is not simply a ceremonial act, but a constant return to historical truth and to the responsibility of science in the face of the challenges of the time.
In the context of European scientific cooperation and the affirmation of historical memory as part of cultural diplomacy, the archival fund of Milan Šufflay represents an extraordinary documentary wealth that transcends national borders and belongs at the same time to the history of Albanology, Croatian historiography and Balkan studies in general; for this reason, the transformation of this fund into a protected heritage of European cultural and documentary heritage would constitute an act of multiple scientific, identity and diplomatic importance. Such an initiative would materialize institutional respect for his contribution to the scientific argumentation of Albanian historical continuity and to the building of academic bridges between the Albanian and Croatian worlds, while reflecting at the same time the traditional friendship with the Croatian people. In this context, the establishment of research institutes or study centers bearing his name in Tirana and Zagreb would represent an advanced model of institutionalization of scientific memory and inter-academic cooperation, creating a permanent platform for Albanological, historiographical and archival studies. At the same time, this would serve as a strategic investment in preserving documentary heritage, promoting joint research and consolidating Albanian-Croatian cultural dialogue, placing Šufflay's figure in his rightful place on the map of Southeast European scientific institutions and in the collective memory of the two peoples.
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