https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/21705 2026-04-23T11:51:16Z 2026-04-23T11:51:16Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/22058 2017-10-02T08:18:43Z 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The deadly gold standard of honour : an insight into the change of the culture of gold in Maltese society Abstract: This Dissertation deals with the decline of Traditional Maltese Gold Jewellers, mainly in Valletta. It attempts to outline the commodification of Jewellery among the Maltese. It also attempts to shed light on Jewellery as a gift, and the culture of gold has evolved over the years. Description: B.A.(HONS)ANTHROPOLOGY

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/22046 2018-08-02T09:39:23Z 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Birgu and the consumption of history Abstract: The aim of this study is to outline and explain the paradoxes that I encountered whilst I was doing my fieldwork in Birgu. These paradoxes relate first and foremost to a complex relationship between learned history and lived memory, which, as I have come to find out, are linked in the city of Birgu. Learned history has become learned memory, and the motivation for this is the removal of stigma from Birgu. Despite the fact that this negative stigma affects the entirety of Cottonera, the way in which this should be done is to promote Birgu as ‘the city of the Knights’ in order to generate tourists and turn it into a hub of entertainment and consumerism. In the meantime, the locals welcome this change and have embraced it into turning it into something of their own; we see this in the increasing grandiosity of the two religious feasts and the creation of another secular feast, the Birgu Fest. What results is the creation of Birgu as museum – a spectacle for visitors, foreign and Maltese alike. Description: B.A.(HONS)ANTHROPOLOGY

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/22041 2017-10-02T07:13:36Z 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Working from the heart : a study of Filipino care workers in Malta Abstract: The main aim of this research was to observe emotional labour in practice. This was done by engaging in participant observation with five Filipina care workers working in a private care home run by a Non-Governmental organisation. I also conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with my informants. Through these interviews the main theme of emotional labour emerged. My informants felt that in performing their job they were also performing the role of the mother, and would consistently refer to themselves as ‘mothers’. My informants also believed that because they were now away from their own household, the role of motherhood towards their children and family has somewhat changed. While as ‘care workers’ my informants provided emotional labour they are also migrant workers and it is therefore important to contextualise their work within processes of global labour migration. My findings suggested that firstly there are quite a substantial number of Filipino nationals working as care workers in Malta, most of who are female individuals. Moreover, these female Filipina migrants migrate to Western countries in order to be able to financially support their families in the Philippines. My conclusion is that as a result of the distance between the care workers and their families, and due to the nature of their work they have constructed a new family dynamic within the workplace while still also clinging to certain factors that differentiate them from the local culture and as well the residents themselves, via coping mechanisms. Description: B.A.(HONS)ANTHROPOLOGY

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/22039 2017-10-02T07:09:23Z 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Hawkers, workers or entrepreneurs? : the economic and social nature of street sellers at the outdoor marketplace in Valletta Abstract: This dissertation looks at the situation of street sellers at the longstanding outdoor marketplace in Valletta known as ‘Il- Monti’. It is essentially a study of the social and economic ties that have kept the Monti running till today. At the time of my research there was an ongoing debate about the relocation of the Monti to another location in Valletta, Malta’s capital city. Research was conducted through participant observation as well as a questionnaire survey of Monti sellers. This glimpse of the Monti sellers’ working life aims to explore the extent to which they engage in entrepreneurial activities, as well as their career aspirations as market sellers. The analysis reveals that the Monti can be likened to descriptions niche markets in West Africa with which it shares common characteristics. The conclusion suggests that one reason why the Monti sellers feel marginalised and unwanted by the public and struggle to have their voices heard is that the Monti’s niche as a very visible supply of cheap goods prominently located in the capital city is not well understood. Description: B.A.(HONS)ANTHROPOLOGY

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z