https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/112187 2026-04-11T03:04:07Z 2026-04-11T03:04:07Z Cole, Maureen https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/112255 2024-10-17T06:24:32Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Editorial Authors: Cole, Maureen Abstract: The extensive social changes taking place globally have provoked an increased interest in and valuing of scholarship relating to social wellbeing. It is in this context that we are happy to publish the second issue of Studies in Social Wellbeing (SiSW). The challenges of climate change, the developments in artificial intelligence, international conflicts, and the post-COVID-19 context call for more research and scholarship about how these are impacting social wellbeing. In relation to the impact of climate change, Beltrán et al. (2016) argue that environmental justice is clearly a social justice issue and that there is evidence that oppressed peoples and the more marginalised people in society are the ones who bear the brunt of the impacts on the physical and natural environment which are the result of human activity. It is in this global context that we would like the journal to continue to draw readers who have a very broad range of interests. The papers in this edition are once again reflective of the journal’s broad scope.

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z Vella, Mary Grace Mintoff, Yana https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/112256 2024-10-17T06:24:42Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Usury : causes and impact on wellbeing Authors: Vella, Mary Grace; Mintoff, Yana Abstract: As neo-liberalism became the accepted way of life, profit on interest has lost its negative and unethical connotations and has become a social norm. Usury however is considered an economic crime since the lender is not an authorised financial institution and is charging in excess of the interest rate restrictions of 8% established under Maltese Civil and Criminal Law. Despite its criminalisation, usury remains a widespread though hidden phenomenon within the Maltese Islands. Usury flourishes in corrupt settings driven by extortion, fear and violence. Yet, it is not considered a vital issue in terms of policy development and evidence-based practice. The research shows that there are various factors which may lead one to turn to usury, varying from structural factors to personal circumstances. Moreover, usury has a wide-ranging negative impact on all spheres of the victim’s life, financially, socially, psychologically and emotionally. Usury is indeed a vicious cycle which perpetuates itself on both the macro-community as well as on the personal level, leading to ever-increasing traps of over-indebtedness. Soundly based on qualitative research with stakeholders involved in the field, this exposition aims to raise awareness of the causes of usury and the impact that it has on both personal and social wellbeing, whilst setting forth vital policy recommendations.

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z Azzopardi, Andrew Clark, Marilyn Formosa, Marvin Psaila, Claudia https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/112257 2024-10-17T06:24:52Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Intersectional reflections on the impact of COVID-19 across the life course Authors: Azzopardi, Andrew; Clark, Marilyn; Formosa, Marvin; Psaila, Claudia Abstract: The occurrence and development of COVID-19 was unexpected. During these last two years social distancing and lockdown measures, vaccination programmes, and dealing with virus variants have led to a climate of fear and uncertainty. The first COVID-19 case in Malta was recorded on 7th March 2020. Since then, Malta has experienced four transitions as far as the containment and spread of COVID-19 is concerned and is currently going through a fourth transition characterised by an efficient vaccination programme that has put both the number of COVID cases and COVID-related deaths to record lows. Drawing on presentations during a Faculty for Social Wellbeing seminar in 2022, this paper presents a number of reflections on how the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic was not a homogenous one. The pandemic impacted persons differently depending on their positioning in the life course as well as in the social structure. For instance, being pregnant and giving birth during a pandemic was accompanied by considerable uncertainty. Also, ascertaining that persons with disability and older persons continue to exercise their human rights emerged as a crucial challenge. The pandemic has therefore not been experienced by everyone equally and in the same way, with some age groups and vulnerable groups being rendered increasingly voiceless. Governments are presently endeavouring to jump start the economy and yet there is an embedded feeling that the new ‘normal’ will be nothing like the past. How will we return to ‘normality’, if ever, and what are the changes we envisage? These were among the questions that were asked during the annual seminar and that have informed this paper.

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z Falzon, Ruth https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/112258 2024-10-17T06:25:03Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Interview with Professor Sherrie Tucker : Pauline Oliveros’ adaptive use musical instrument Authors: Falzon, Ruth Abstract: This interview focuses on the influence of Pauline Oliveros’ (1932-2016) work and an academic’s wellbeing. Oliveros is considered one of electronic music's most important early figures. She was an original member and the first director of the pioneering San Francisco Tape Music Center. Also, the founder of the Deep Listening Institute, she conveyed the message that sound and its effects are powerful equalisers. Dr Sherrie Tucker, Professor, American Studies, University of Kansas, shares with Professor Ruth Falzon how Oliveros’s work changed her philosophical perspective, professional and personal life.

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