The Arbëresh living in Argentina

The Arbëresh living in Argentina

 By 1914 the European emigration reached the peak in Argentina's history, it is estimated that 1,760,000 people entered in Argentina in the period 1901-1910, here does not seem difficult to admit that the Albanians have little impact on that figure since they were in small number among other nationalities according to the third national enrollment of that year.

The Italians, in contrast to their closest Mediterranean neighbors, were placed on the opposite side, which over time accounted for the largest number of arrivals in the country. To have a clearer idea, according to the author of the study, Dedier Norberto Marqueigui, it is estimated that 4,200.00 European migrants have entered Argentina between the years 1881 and 1914.

Of them, about 2,000,000 were Italians, 1,400,000 Spanish, 170,000 French and 160,000 Russians (Devoto, Fernando J, "La inmigración" in Nueva Historia de la Nación Argentina, B.Sc., Academia Nacional de la Historia- Ed. Planeta, 2000, T IV, p. 89); and this of course not counting a large number of them who returned to their homeland. In one way or another the numbers are undoubtedly controversial. However, if viewed carefully, another story can be shown.

For example, it is not quite true if we refer to only one generation of "Italian immigration to Argentina" because when this process started, neither Italy nor Argentina existed as states; the first consolidated as such in 1870, and the second ten years later, when the national authorities took control of the capital Buenos Aires.

In this regard, the extreme overcrowding of the area, a poor and over-exploited land, fragmented to infinity, in such a way that it could not guarantee everyone access to resources to ensure their survival.

However some scholars estimate that about 50,000 Arbëresh live actually in Argentina, and most of them in Luján, the number varies but what is for sure is that in Argentina live a considerable number of Arbëresh.

Here we can mention Ernesto Sabato, who was Argentinean writer, painter and physicist of Arbëresh origin.
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