History and cultural contacts: an examination of the interaction of different cultural groups and its impact on historical processes

The relevance of the study is determined by the need for a deeper understanding of historical processes and intercultural interactions that influenced the formation of the national identity of the countries of the Balkan and South-East Asian regions in the second half of the XX – early XXI century. The study focuses on Albania and Thailand as examples of states with different historical experiences of modernisation, political transformation, and external interaction. The purpose of the study was to trace the dynamics of cultural, religious, and political interaction in Albania and Thailand after the World War II and assess the role of intercultural factors in shaping the national policy and international positioning of both countries. The methodological basis is a historical and comparative approach, supplemented by an analysis of sources on cultural policy, religious transformations, diplomatic strategies, and legal regulation. As a result, it is established that Albania’s isolationist course contributed to increased repression of religion and the monopolisation of cultural space, while Thailand developed a model of managed pluralism, integrating religious and ethnic elements into public policy. An interregional comparison is conducted, and emphasis is placed on the role of cultural and religious dynamics in modernisation and international integration. The study analyses the radical atheistic course that led to the destruction of religious institutions in Albania. The restoration of religious life after 1990 is seen as part of a geopolitical reorientation. It is analysed that Buddhism remained a stabilising factor during political instability and the role of religious leaders in reconciling conflicts, in particular, in the southern Muslim provinces. The practical value of the study lay in the possibility of using it to analyse the role of culture in the transformation processes of post-totalitarian and post-colonial states.