Kujtim Ramadani , MA & Jonuz Abdullai, PhD Southeast European University, Tetovo , Macedonia

1. Social Changes and the Migration of Albanians from South-Western Macedonia KujtimRamadani, MA & Jonuz Abdullai, PhD Southeast European University, Tetovo, Macedonia Abstract: As a process, migration dates back thousands of years with the movement of Homo Erectus from Africa through Euro-Asia. The first human beings is said to have migrated due to climatic changes and inadequate food supplies. In modern times, migration intensifies in the 19th century because of different reasons of its emergence and existence. According to Lee (1966), there are two groups of factors that cause population migration from one place to another; they are known as the push and pull factors. The first are the negative factors that make people leave their home countries whereas the second group consists of factors that attract people to go and live in another place. Of course, William F. Ogburn’s model (1964) is also worth mentioning in terms of the basic factors in the social development. A large number of these factors has been determining in the migration of Albanians from north-western part of Macedonia to other countries, especially to the USA, and western-European countries. A large part of the Albanian population, not only in Macedonia but in other former Yugoslav areas, were also forcefully deported by the then monist system to Turkey during the ‘50s and ‘60s – facts that for many people are still unfamiliar. The lack of adequate education due to the insufficiency of basic conditions for such a thing, and as a consequence the high unemployment rate among the Albanian population in Macedonia, the permanent discrimination on ethnic and religious grounds by the communist regime in Macedonia before the ‘90s and afterwards, the social exclusion and marginalization of smaller communities, etc., have been some of the main reasons of leaving the country in search for better conditions for life and work. We consider that the integration of Macedonia into NATO and the EU will decrease the migration rate of the Albanian population, since it would mean better economic, political and social state and greater direct investments from abroad. Results of the research about the problems and perspectives of the youth population and the Diaspora will also be revealed in this paper. • Methods: • Content analysis; • Survey methodology; • Comparison; • Statistics; • Interviews; • Questionnaires. Albanians in Europe Results: Conclusions: The 21st century did not bring anything new for Albanians in Macedonia. Despite the improvement of overall living conditions in terms of the education of young generations, better employment opportunities, more qualitative professional development, thousands of Albanian youngsters see their perspectives in the Diaspora. The extremely problematic political and economic situation in which Macedonia is suffocating, without any hopes for sooner integration into the EU and NATO are just adding to the sufferings. The reasons are well known: the perverse government politics, the infinite adjournment of the name dispute with Greece, zero foreign investments in the country, discrimination on ethnic grounds, unequal rights for all communities living there, etc. • Introduction: • The migration process of Macedonian Albanians started after the World War 2 when a lot of people were sent mainly to Germany to work as Gastarbeitersas part of a formal guest worker program (Gastarbeiterprogramm). • Today, the term Gastarbeiter is no longer accurate, as the former guest worker communities, insofar as they have not returned to their countries of origins, have become permanent residents or citizens, and therefore are in no meaningful sense "guests". However, despite the fact that many of the former "guest workers" have now become German citizens, the term Ausländeris still colloquially applied to them as well as to their naturalized children and grandchildren. • Based on Lee’s push and pull factors, we identified the following as the main cause of the migration of Albanians in Western Europe: • Push Factors • Not enough jobs • Few opportunities • Primitive conditions • Political fear or persecution • Lack of political or religious freedom • Discrimination • Pull Factors • Job opportunities • Better living conditions • Political and/or religious freedom • Enjoyment • Security References: Everett S. Lee (1966). "A Theory of Migration“ Ogburn, William Fielding (1922). “Social Change with Respect to Culture and Original Nature”. New York: B.W. Huebsch Duncan, Otis Dudley (1964). Introduction to William F. Ogburn on Culture and Social Change,ed. Otis Dudley Duncan, vii-xxii. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, Phoenix Books, 1964 International Organization for Migration and the Slovenian Ministry of the Interior, “The FYROM Migration Profile”, October 2007 Repe, Božo. Les migrations sur le territoire de l'ancienneYougoslavie de 1945 a nosjours: predavanje: Séminaireeuropéend'enseignants "Etre migrant(e) en Europe", 6-9 mars 2002, Faculté des lettresetscienceshumaines, Université de Neuchâtel. Neuchâtel, 2002. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanians#Diaspora http://a1.com.mk/vesti/default.aspx?VestID=120797 http://a1.com.mk/vesti/default.aspx?VestID=120735