Albanian educational theorist
Parashqevi Qiriazi | |
|---|---|
Parashqevi Qiriazi | |
| Born | ()27 May [1] Manastir, Manastir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 17 December () (aged&#;84) Tirana, Albania |
| Resting place | Tirana, Varrezat e Sharrës |
| Nationality | Albanian |
| Other&#;names | Paraskevi D. Kyrias, Parashqevi Qirias |
| Citizenship | Ottoman, Albanian |
| Education | Masters |
| Alma&#;mater | American College for Girls at Constantinople (B.A.), Oberlin College (Masters) |
| Occupation(s) | educator, publisher |
| Notable work | Yll'i Mëngjezit (The Morning Star), Boston, – |
| Parent(s) | Dhimitër Qiriazi, Maria Qiriazi (Vodica) |
| Relatives | sister of Tashko Qiriazi, Kostandin Qiriazi, Theofania "Fanka" Qiriazi (Trajan), Gjerasim Qiriazi, Gjergj Qiriazi, Sevasti Qiriazi, Kristo Qiriazi, Naum Qiriazi, and Perikli "Pandi" Qiriazi[2][3] |
| Awards | People's Teacher Honor of the Nation Order for Patriotic Activity |
Parashqevi Qiriazi (Paraskevi D. Kyrias) (27 May [4] – 17 December ) was an Albanian teacher of the Qiriazi family who dedicated her life to the Albanian alphabet and to the instruction of written Albanian language. She was a woman participant at the Congress of Manastir, which decided the form of the Albanian alphabet,[5] and the founder of the Yll' i Mengjesit, a women's association.[6] Parashqevi was also a participant in the Paris Peace Conference, as a member of the Albanian-American community.[7] She was the sister of Sevasti Qiriazi, who was the director of the first Albanian School for girls in Korça, opened in [8]
Parashqevi was born in Monastir (now Bitola, in the Manastir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (present-day North Macedonia).[2] When she was only 11 she started to help her brother Gjerasim Qiriazi and sister Sevasti Qiriazi to teach written Albanian to girls in the first school for girls in Albania, the Girls' School (Albanian: Shkolla e Vashave),[5] which opened on 15 October [2][9]
She later studied at the American College for Girls at Constantinople. Upon graduation she went to Korçë to work as an elementary teacher along with her sister, Sevasti at the Mësonjëtorja, the first Albanian school which had opened in [10]
In , she was a participant in the Congress of Monastir and the only woman to be there.[5]
In , she published an abecedarium for elementary schools. Although the Congress of Monastir had decided about the new alphabet, two versions of the alphabet were still present in her abecedary, which shows how fragile the consensus of the Congress still was. However, along with the abecedarium, she published some very well known verses on the defense of the new Albanian alphabet:[11]
| Albanian Tosc | English |
|---|---|
Armiqëtë o shqipëtarë, | The enemies o Albanians, |
She is also known for having organized teaching for children and night schools in other southern Albania villages and for helping to organize local libraries.[10]
She contributed to the foundation of the Yll' i Mëngjesit association (Albanian: Morning Star) in [12] and later, when she had migrated to the US, she continued to publish the periodical with the same name from to [6] The magazine was published every fortnight and included articles on Albanian politics, society, history, philology, literature, and folklore.[10]
In she left Albania for Romania along with her sister as a consequence of the Greek occupation of the city.[9]
She later went to the United States and became a member of the Albanian-American community, on behalf of which she participated in the Conference of Peace of Paris in to represent the rights of the Albanians.[5][13]
Parashqevi returned to Albania in , after which she followed political developments there with interest, without losing sight of national aspirations. She became one of the founders and directors of the Female Institution named "Kyrias," after her family, in Tirana and Kamëz, in cooperation with her sister Sevasti and brother-in-law Kristo Dako.[14]
In October , at the initiative of the Ministry of Interior, the organization "Gruaja Shqiptare" ("The Albanian woman") was founded in Tirana, with plans to create branches nationwide and in the diaspora. It was created under the patronage of the Queen Mother and King Zog's sister Princess Sanije. The organization aimed at promoting education, hygiene, and charitable activities, and raising Albanian women to a higher cultural level. As a well-educated woman, Parashqevi succeeded in gaining a leadership position in it. Between and , the organization published its periodical Shqiptarja ("The Albanian [f]"), which featured many articles contributed by Parashqevi and her sister Sevasti. The journal took issue with conservative thinking, championing the women's movement and its demands.[15]
Parashqevi stood as a firm anti-fascist throughout World War II, starting from the Italian invasion of Because of her anti-fascist views, she and her sister were sent to the Anhaltelager Dedinje camp near Belgrade by pro-Nazi units led by Xhaferr Deva.[16][14][17]
She survived and returned to Tirana after the war, but she and her sister's family then faced further persecution. Because of his past affiliation with Zog, Kristo Dako was posthumously vilified by the communist regime,[2] and the Kyrias families were forced out of Tirana. Parashqevi's two nephews (Sevasti's sons) would be imprisoned, and eventually one died in prison.[citation needed]
The efforts of Albanian scholar Skënder Luarasi and woman politician Vito Kapo led eventually to the partial rehabilitation of the Kyrias sisters.[16] Parashqevi died in Tirana on 17 December [citation needed]
The following works are known to have been written by Parashqevi Qiriazi: