About The Albanian Café
The Albanian Café is a history podcast that focuses on the history of Albanians in the Balkans from the late 11th century to the present day. Albanian history is largely overshadowed, but the role Albanians have played is nothing short of significant. This podcast will take us through episodes of history that have reverberating effects to the present day and are often contentious and difficult to navigate. We will focus on Ottoman expansion and decline, the Balkan wars, World War I & II, the Cold War and touch on subjects such as ethnogenesis, nationalism, great power diplomacy and much more.
The aim of the podcast is to make Albanian history easily accessible. This podcast is for those of us who do not have time to pour hours into lengthy books, but want to broaden their understanding of Albania, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe in general. There are many dubious sources when it comes to Balkan history, so this podcast will utilize as many primary sources as possible, and secondary sources from leading academicians on a wide range of subjects. Albanian studies are relatively underdeveloped outside of the region, so this podcast will give listeners a better understanding of Albanian culture and society.
About the host
My name is Nikolin Turtulli. I was born in Korce, Albania to a family with a history as old as Albania itself. When I was just two years old, my parents moved to United States to begin a new life, and since then we have made Michigan our home. I graduated with a B.A. in History from Michigan State University, and most of my coursework centered around European Intellectuals and the Cold War. After graduating I began a career in campaign finance which got me involved in politics.