Archaeology and politics in post-independence Malta

Abstract

The political nature of archaeology has been part of the theoretical discourse of the discipline since the early 1970s. This post-processual direction in archaeological theory has led to many historiographies on the development of archaeology being written. The study of Malta’s archaeological history and the role that politics has played in its development in the years following post-Independence, has received limited attention. This study focuses on the relationship of archaeology and politics and the manifestation of that liaison through the presentation of three separate but linked case studies: (1) definitive stamp sets, (2) a documentary production entitled Malta and the Phoenicians: The Phoenician Presence and Influence which Shaped and Influenced History, and (3) the planning of a foreign archaeological mission to Malta. The case studies were approached through an analysis of the relevant material and literature in order to explore the relationship between archaeology and politics in Malta from 1964 till 2004. The data gathered allowed for an appraisal of the ways in which post-Independence administrations have utilised archaeology; from the discipline’s use as a tourist attraction, the practice of using an archaeological culture for nationalist propaganda, to the involvement of the government in the planning and execution of an archaeological mission. It is argued that the intrinsically political nature of archaeology manifests itself in nation-building initiatives.