The making and unmaking of state photography in socialist Albania
Résumé
Socialist Albania is perhaps an extreme case of state control of photographic production in the second half of the twentieth century, even in the socialist world. The collectivisation and state organisation of photographic production was introduced at the end of the 1940s; twenty years later, the state authorities claimed that the entire profession had come under state control and that not a single private or independent photographer existed in the country. The production and circulation of images was tightly controlled. Taking photographs, looking at them or keeping them could be dangerous. What could be photographed, and what meaning could be attributed to it, was defined by the authorities and had to serve the needs of the Party and of the state. Having described the main features of this situation, and what it implies for the study of photography in socialist Albania, I will however elaborate on three points that allow for a better understanding of the role and meaning of photography in that context. The first is the dependence of the socialist state on the outside world for the supply of photographic equipment and, in part, for the training of photographers. Contrary to common belief, socialist Albania was not isolated and, in this specific area, was not at all self-sufficient. The second point concerns the reception by the population of the organisation set up by the authorities. We note that, in general, the population did not reject this state controlled photography. On the contrary, the socialist period was also a time when many people discovered the pleasure of posing in front of the camera and started to keep photographs at home. Finally, I present some of the tensions, contradictions and ambiguities that suggest that control was less effective than the authorities thought. In conclusion, I make some observations on the current fate of photographs from the socialist period and on their reception in Albania today. By underlining the significance of the circulation of goods, people and images, and the role of emotions in the reception of images; by reminding that even the harshest political regime has to improvise and compromise, I aim to demonstrate how the Albanian case can contribute to the study of images in Southeast Europe.
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