Private Pain, Public Conflict: Stigma in Albanian Televised Debates

Abstract

This paper investigates how stigma is staged and circulated in Albanian televised debates, focusing on two contrasting formats: Me zemër të hapur (2024) and 360 Gradë (2024). While the former dramatizes cases of domestic violence and family conflict, the latter frames political and international disputes, such as the Albania–Greece controversy, through adversarial debate. Drawing on stigma theory (Goffman, 1963; Link & Phelan, 2001) and discourse analysis, the study compares how private suffering and public conflict are mediated as spectacles of judgment. In Me zemër të hapur, stigma operates through emotional exposure, where victims, often women, are presented as vulnerable and dependent, while perpetrators are labeled as immoral or dishonorable. In 360 Gradë, stigmatization emerges through political labeling and ethnic othering, casting individuals as scapegoats or threats to national sovereignty. By juxtaposing these two programs, the analysis shows how Albanian television transforms both domestic and political disputes into “trials,” where language of blame, morality, and suspicion dominates. The findings highlight the convergences and divergences of stigma across genres, revealing how media naturalizes hierarchies and mobilizes emotion to shape public perception of both private and collective conflicts.