Possibilities of higher education for a productive civil and social engagement : the experience of Albania

Abstract

This paper analyses the prospects of civil and social engagement in Albanian higher education by contemplating the impacts of recent historical developments, namely the period 2010-2020. The main goal of the study was to identify the (potential) role of higher education in civil and social engagement (CSE). The study draws on two Albanian case studies: activism in the civil society organisation ‘Alliance for the protection of the theatre’ and the 2018 student protest against state reforms in higher education. The study asked how education can be involved in building a productive civil engagement that contributes to a (more) sustainable democratisation process. Previous experiences of CSE in Albania, reshaped during the democratisation process, were politicised and hampered democracy. Only after 2000 was Albanian society able to rehabilitate CSE engagement. Due to many factors, such as education, technology and opportunities to travel abroad, the role of the young generation (especially students) and well-educated citizens was of great significance.