https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/698 2026-10-15T07:49:11Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149881 Title: Considering suitable research methods for islands Authors: McMahon, Elizabeth; Baldacchino, Godfrey Abstract: The last 30 years have seen the consolidation of island studies as a field of research with particular imperatives and methodologies of interest to geographers and others, and not least the readers of this journal. This consolidation has been achieved through a range of strategies and practices from the involvement of government agencies and island development legislation and plans to the establishment of academic associations, dedicated scholarly journals, large-scale publishing projects in diverse locations and languages, conferences, interdisciplinary forums, postgraduate programmes of study, and collaborative research (including special journal sections, as here). [excerpt] 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149877 Title: Indignation narratives Abstract: In this article I look at indignation narratives from a sociological perspective. Indignation can be a legitimate response to injustice and a force for social change. But what happens when it becomes selective? Which injustices become visible, which identities are emphasised, and which voices are heard or excluded? I also look at polarisation, media narratives, the public “front stage” and the less visible “backstage” of society — and ask a simple question: What evidence would make us reconsider our own position? 2026-10-04T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149673 Title: Society, the sea, and research Abstract: In this article I reflect on the relationship between society and the sea, drawing on discussions from the Maritime Sociology Research Stream at the 17th European Sociological Association Conference in Warsaw, in which I participated. Much of the research presented was connected to the RethinkBlue COST Action and explored themes including maritime work, gender, coastal communities, climate change, governance, power and blue justice. For Malta, these questions are particularly relevant. As a small island state, the sea is intertwined with our economy, environment, culture, connectivity and everyday life—and provides considerable opportunities for sociological and interdisciplinary research. The sea is not simply an economic resource or natural environment. It is also a social space. 2026-09-13T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149672 Title: Climate, conflict, migration Abstract: In this article I refer to the complex relationship between climate change, conflict and migration, drawing on the new MedECC Expert Analysis on the Mediterranean. Environmental change matters profoundly, but it does not operate in a social vacuum. Migration is also shaped by socio-economic conditions, inequality, vulnerability, governance and geopolitical forces. The evidence also points to important data gaps and the need for interdisciplinary research. I argue that environmental policy therefore needs to engage not only with environmental science, but also with social and economic realities — and with people’s lived experiences. 2026-09-27T00:00:00Z