Performing absences. Seasonal return in south Albanian villages

Abstract

This article proposes to apply an anthropology of absence to migration, and specifically to different performance situations: revitalised local village feasts, wedding parties and funeral ceremonies. Such events, attended by migrants returning to their home village, are characterised by a particular emotional ambiguity and a dynamic process of being charged with, and being released from longing. At the same time, discourses about roots, tradition and a primordial space are nourished, aiming at giving sense to a world of absence.