https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/131517 2026-06-14T18:30:09Z 2026-06-14T18:30:09Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/146867 2026-05-28T08:59:37Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Visual culture in Malta as a mirror and an agent of change : from Italian unification to Maltese independence Abstract: imperial ideals. The influence permeated many aspects of Maltese imagery, especially architecture, public monuments, and other forms of state-sponsored art.8 These competing influences resulted in a distinct visual lexicon in Malta, reflecting the island’s efforts to assert its identity in the face of external pressures and internal changes. Visual art served not only as a form of creative expression but also as a means of encoding and contesting the era’s complex realities. Fine art and popular imagery became sites for subtle and profound debates about belonging, authority, and cultural resilience. Malta’s imagery reflects these interactions, providing insights into how art can serve as a bridge between competing traditions and ideologies. In Malta, the visual arts functioned as a dynamic space where external pressures met local traditions, resulting in works that absorbed, resisted, and transformed these influences. [...] Description: M.A.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145387 2026-04-08T05:58:47Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The emotional state of nurses who provide end-of-life care in a geriatric setting Abstract: As the demand for end-of-life care in geriatric settings continues to grow, nurses play a vital role in providing compassionate, patient-centred care while managing their own emotional well-being. This delicate balance between professional responsibilities and personal emotional investment often exposes nurses to significant emotional strain. Forming close relationships with patients and their families while witnessing patient deterioration and death can lead to profound emotional challenges. At the same time, the opportunity to offer comfort, dignity, and support at the end of life provides a deep sense of fulfilment, shaping the emotional experiences of nurses in complex and meaningful ways. This study adopts a qualitative approach to explore the emotional state of nurses who provide end-of-life care in long-term geriatric settings. It investigates how nurses navigate grief, maintain emotional boundaries, and cope with the pressures of their role. Additionally, it examines the impact of patient relationships on their emotional health and how they balance empathy with professional detachment. The study also considers the role of relationships and institutional support in promoting emotional resilience. Through in-depth semi-structured interviews, the research captures the nuanced emotional experiences of nurses working in this specialised field. It highlights both the challenges and rewards inherent in end-of-life care and identifies effective coping strategies employed by nurses. Finally, the study offers practical recommendations to enhance emotional support for nursing staff, improve workplace well-being, and strengthen the overall quality of end-of-life care in geriatric settings. Description: M.A.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145385 2026-04-08T05:29:17Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Beautiful broken bodies : exploring embodiment and risk in boxing Abstract: This dissertation investigates how local Maltese boxers embody a boxer’s habitus and risk culture. This is achieved using a qualitative research design, incorporating both semi-structured interviews and a vignette interview. Specific attention is given to how boxers internalise training habits and routine whilst analysing the lived experience of boxers with special reference to the physical and psychological risks faced within the industry. Findings reveal that boxers embrace a strong sense of boxer’s habitus, characterised by rigorous training regimens and a deep sense of a boxer’s identity. A correlation between this and a high extent of risk acceptance is discovered. In fact, boxers are desensitised to injury and trivialise risk, viewing it as an inevitable element to achieve excellence in the sport, despite being aware of the potential long-term health consequences. The dissertation also explores factors which shape risk perception, including family, work, coaching and the risk culture existing within the industry. It highlights how dedication to boxing, echoed within the embodiment of the sport, often supersedes concerns for personal safety. The dissertation provides valuable insights into the lived experiences of Maltese boxers and offers a foundation for further research into risk culture and embodiment in other sport contexts. Description: M.A.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144842 2026-03-12T11:15:21Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Investigating the post-vocalic /r/ in Maltese English and its potential intra- and inter-speaker variation Abstract: The postvocalic /r/ is a segment that is an object of much interest in several languages and dialects of English. This dissertation uses a set of eight speakers from the Corpus of Spoken Maltese English to find patterns in the realisation of the postvocalic /r/ that could indicate potential trends in the rhoticity of the dialect. While only 10.8% of the postvocalic /r/s measured across all speakers were realised as rhotic phonemes. All speakers had varying distributions of /r/ realisations, suggesting that rhoticity may be a continuum upon which Maltese English speakers may be found in multiple positions, indicating a somewhat large inter-speaker variation. This is reinforced by the fact that all speakers articulate postalveolar approximant /r/s, but only some articulate alveolar taps, which may indicate a broader pattern of /r/ loss across languages when compared to the previously common trill, which was articulated in the same contexts, thereby demonstrating inter-speaker variation. Intra-speaker variation is also present in the form of the frequency of /r/ articulation over time, as the first minute of each recording is decidedly less rhotic than the rest, which may suggest audience design is a factor. Description: B.A. (Hons)(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z