https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/108768 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 03:43:06 GMT 2026-07-07T03:43:06Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/111109 Title: Creativity, creolization and identity in Seychelles creole folktales Abstract: This study aims to expose how the folktales of Seychelles are representative of the different Diasporas that formed its population, and of the islands’ intense creolization process and identity formations, stemming from plantation slavery and insularity. Consequently, a Seychelles Creole Folktale Database has been created which has served as the corpus for the study. Most of the folktales were collected and documented during the 1980s and 90s, and some were published as an ongoing collection by the Creole Institute of Seychelles. However, only a small percentage have been analysed. This is probably the first study that discusses the creativity of creolization and identity formations of the Seychellois people, in juxtaposition with regional and Caribbean creolizations. The methodology employed for the study is an inductive, mixed methods, with an explanatory sequential design, and a constructivist approach. As such, the theoretical framework is a sequential reinterpretation of Robin Cohen and Olivia Sheringham’s discussion of difference through the concepts of Social Identity, Diaspora and Creolization. The study posits that Diaspora, Creolization and Social Identity, in that order, are chronological phases of identity formation in plantation Creole societies like Seychelles, and that in the particular case of Seychelles, its corpus of folktales is representative of these phases. The data population obtained from the folktale database has been coded in Nvivo, under these three themes - Diaspora, Creolization and Social Identity – and the following results have been obtained: (1) By tracing the origins of the stories and the likely periods that they were transferred to Seychelles, it has been possible to identify the different diasporas that formed the early population of the archipelago. (2) An analysis of the stories has revealed the following markers of creolization, as per the grounded theory discussed in the literature review – (i) Adaptation, (ii) Appropriation, (iii) Hybridization, (iv) Localization, (v) Mixed Channels, (vi) Reinterpretation, (vii) Unknown Languages. (3) Coding the data in Nvivo has also permitted an analysis of the stories under the themes ‘Slavery’ and ‘Social Identity’ which has revealed the impact slavery has had on the Seychellois psyche, and their consequent attempts to create new and more positive identities in the post-independence period. It has also been possible to discuss the role played by power structures such as the Catholic Church, in the Seychellois’ concept of their identity and culture. This study has several practical outcomes: (i) it is the first time that all the folktales of Seychelles have been collected and documented in a digitized form, and made available in one space. This is important because a considerable amount of these stories are out of print and were scattered in different places, in varying states of accessibility. (ii) It is the first time that the majority of the Seychelles’ folktale corpus has been classified according to the international folktale classification index, Aarne/Thompson/Uther (ATU), and made available online. This will open up immense possibilities for research locally and abroad. (iii) The study itself will contribute considerably to available research on Seychellois folklore and culture, and identity issues. It is by all considerations, an original piece of research which is likely to have a long-standing impact on the ongoing debate about creolization in the Indian Ocean region. Description: Ph.D.(Melit.) Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/111109 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/108945 Title: Small states performance in EU research funding programmes : a Maltese perspective Abstract: Over 20 000 000 European citizens inhabit approximately 2,400 islands which pertain to the thirteen member states of the European Union. Three member states are also islands, yet there are still doubts whether the European Union addresses small island states’ specific challenges appropriately in its policy. The report on EU islands and cohesion policy (2022) calls for a proper strategy for islands where their strengths can be properly exploited through robust research, innovation policies and initiatives that foster collaboration among local researchers and innovators whilst promoting a larger uptake of research facilities in insular territories. Whilst acknowledging the importance of Research and Innovation, the report highlights that EU policies do not always take into account the specific characteristics of islands, and their needs are underrepresented in EU legislation. This is further exacerbating island vulnerabilities. It is already acknowledged that islands and small states issues are underrepresented in EU policies and legislation, however it is still unknown if these very same issues are also not present in the EU’s Research and Innovation funding programmes. The Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (2014-2020) and the Horizon Europe Framework Programme (2021-2027) are the biggest EU Funding Programmes that support Research and Innovation. This research project analyses the performance of islands and small states. Mainly, the performance of four of the smallest European Member States; Malta, Estonia, Cyprus and Luxembourg in the last two years of Horizon 2020 and the first year of Horizon Europe. Malta’s performance in the EU Research and Innovation funding programmes is analysed vis-à-vis the performance of Estonia, Cyprus and Luxembourg. Small states face several challenges and vulnerabilities, ranging from small domestic market issues, limited natural resources, climate change vulnerabilities, environment vulnerabilities, small population and limited human resources, difficulties in attracting research talent, low representation in decision making institutions, health issues as a result of climate change, lack of green spaces to lack of infrastructure and more. It is because of these vulnerabilities that this research will also examine if small states issues are well mentioned in European Research and Innovation Funding Programmes, and if they are mentioned, to what extent they are being considered. Mixed methods will be used to investigate the performance of EU islands and small states in EU research funding programmes, Malta’s success in these funding programmes vis-à-vis the success of Estonia, Cyprus and Luxembourg and how islands and small states issues are represented (if represented) in the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe calls for proposals. Content analysis, descriptive statistics and correlation analysis is the research approach used to answer the research questions. This research finds that EU research and innovation funding programmes send mixed results in terms of accounting for issues pertaining to small states, especially for the calls that were issued in 2021 (Horizon Europe). Description: M.A.(Melit.) Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/108945 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/108944 Title: International sourcing in small island states and their impacts on employment : the case of the Maltese Islands Abstract: At each stage of the Global Value Chains, an enterprise may opt to source domestically or internationally, and source core or supporting business functions to affiliated or non-affiliated organizations. How a multinational enterprise opts to enter an investing country affects labour expertise demands. The extent of skilled and unskilled labour demands as a result of international sourcing are diverse, impacting wage rates and henceforth Gross Domestic Product. Despite this, there is a paucity of data; particularly more pronounced for small island states, including Malta. The Global Value Chains and International Sourcing (GVCIS) survey for the period between 2018 and 2020 was utilized to determine the effects of international sourcing on Malta-based enterprises. The concurrent international sourcing to Malta was analyzed via the micro linking of various statistical databases produced by the Maltese National Statistics Office and data from the GVCIS Survey. International outsourcing to Malta was assessed indirectly by utilizing information gathered from the second module of the GVCIS Survey. It was concluded that despite the prima facie impression that international insourcing via Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is beneficial to the Maltese economy, the limited research present limits the inferences and extrapolations that can be done. Thorough research needs to be done to better assess the optimal model for attracting investment; either by using the FDI framework or by attracting niche supporting activities using the international outsourcing model. Lack of specialized knowledge and technologies was listed as an important barrier to that can not only decrease Malta’s attractiveness to international sourcing but is also an important motivator for Malta-based enterprises to source internationally, thereby leading to domestic employment loss. Producing a ‘skills priority list’ and an ‘apprenticeship national skill needs list’ could be a potentially effective action to challenge present and future lack of specialised knowledge in the domestic economy. Until further research is performed, deciding between affiliated investment and attracting opportunities from third party non-affiliated investment is not simple. Improving the current skills of local workers should be prioritised to optimise Malta’s potential with respect to international sourcing. Description: M.A.(Melit.) Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/108944 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/108917 Title: Multi-hazard risk assessment in small island developing states : the case of Labasa, Vanua Levu, Fiji Islands Abstract: SIDS are amongst the most vulnerable groups to hazards such as tropical cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, volcanism and flooding. With the changing climate, the intensity and frequency of hazards have increased leading to constant disaster events. People are often not only exposed to an individual hazard but to multiple hazards simultaneously or in short succession to each other. Disasters strike before people are able to recover from previous ones. This is also very relevant to entire countries: disaster events can put extreme pressures on government resources and logistical capabilities. When there is not enough time to recover from a disaster before the next already strikes countries can get to the edge of their economic viability. It is no surprise that the notion of multi-hazard is gaining momentum and recognition coupled with great concerns due to severe threats arising from climate change. Individuals, communities and governments need to prepare for multiple occurrences of disasters. Examples from Pacific Islands show, how urgent such perspective is: very soon after COVID-19 showed first impacts in March 2020 Fiji and its people were exposed to Tropical Cyclone Harold in early April 2020, the second strongest TC that ever was recorded in this part of the world. Eight months later Fiji experienced TC Yasa, which was even stronger. With 6,000 (TC Harold) / 23,000 (TC Yasa) in evacuation centers social distancing required by COVID-19 protection was just not possible. Later in 2022 the SARS-CoV-2 virus was first recorded in Tonga, when international emergency operations provided support to the country that had suffered a damaging volcanic eruption. Before Tonga had recorded a single COVID-19 cases. A multi-hazard risk assessment is crucial to investigate the relevance of concepts that see specific vulnerabilities. In a systematic literature review scientific publications were identified that conduct such multi-hazard risk assessment. The study then focuses on such social science assessments and approaches on multi-hazard exposure and relates them to community engagement, government policies and resource allocations. This introduces a multi-level perspective from local, regional to national perspectives and actions. The study found that multiple hazards have great relevance to people living in Labasa. However, the concept of multi-hazard was never part of disaster management legislation. It recently has been included in policy frameworks, where it mainly focuses on early warning systems. There are institutional, financial, technical, and capacity challenges to the current disaster management. To enhance multi-hazard perspectives in DRR the study recommends to engage communities to a greater extend in disaster management policy formulation. There is a need to have a distinct orientation to the protection from multiple hazards to ensure effective disaster management and to provide better security to individuals and communities. Description: M.A.(Melit.) Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/108917 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z