Novara Media Downstream: Are We Living Through the End of an Empire? w/ Lea Ypi
22 snips
Sep 8, 2025 
Lea Ypi, a Professor of Political Theory at the London School of Economics and author of 'Indignity', dives into the complex history of migration and identity. She discusses how the collapse of the Ottoman Empire informs today’s migration discourse and critiques the scapegoating of Albanian communities in the UK. Ypi draws parallels between past and present far-right sentiments and tackles the role of class in migration policy. Her insights reveal the enduring impact of historical narratives on contemporary issues, urging a reevaluation of national identities.
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Family Blocked By Visa Algorithms
- Lea Ypi recounts her brother's repeated UK visa refusals and the profiling algorithms that block him as an Albanian man of working age.
- She explains fees rose and repeated rejections made applying pointless, pushing some to attempt illegal crossings.
Hoxha's Paris Episode
- Lea Ypi describes her grandfather's friendship with Enver Hoxha in 1930s Paris and Hoxha's dramatic rent-avoidance stunt.
- She recounts Hoxha throwing suitcases from a window and jumping, with her grandfather among those helping him.
Wartime Alliances Shaped Postwar Repressions
- British SOE support during WWII often favored communists, reshaping postwar power and enabling later purges.
- Ypi links British wartime choices to her grandfather's later imprisonment by Hoxha for alleged collaboration.
