https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/133692 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 22:30:44 GMT 2026-04-04T22:30:44Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/141172 Title: Playing for unity : football, community and national identity in two Mediterranean nation-states Abstract: This thesis explores the vital role of football in shaping community identities and national belonging, with a particular focus on Malta and Italy as key case studies within the Mediterranean context. Employing a multidisciplinary approach, it integrates community theory, particularly Benedict Anderson’s concept of imagined communities, to examine how football functions as a cultural force that goes beyond spatial limits and fosters emotional bonds across different groups of people. The study reveals that football is more than just a sport; it is a powerful catalyst for national identity formation and community cohesion. It addresses fundamental questions about how football contributes to the creation of communities, the significance of symbols in strengthening fan identity, and the historical allegiances that have shaped Maltese supporters’ affinities with England and Italy. Additionally, it explores how local rivalries and regional identities in football reflect broader societal divisions. Methodologically, the dissertation adopts a case study approach supplemented by desk research, drawing on existing literature, academic articles, and qualitative data from various sources. This investigation highlights the intricate relationship between football, culture, history, and politics, emphasizing its crucial role in the nation-building processes of Malta and Italy. More broadly, the findings offer valuable insights into how football shapes community dynamics in an increasingly globalized world. Description: M.A.(Melit.) Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/141172 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/141171 Title: Mediterranean dots and Isiac knots : interrogating the idea of the Mediterranean through the maritime cult of Isis Abstract: The dissertation critically examines the frameworks of Hellenisation and Romanisation, interrogating their essentialist underpinnings, while reflexively applying and challenging the globalisation and Mediterraneanisation frameworks as interpretative models. Using the maritime cult of Isis as a case study, the research explores how individuals, communities, and societies interpreted, adapted, and integrated the goddess within their specific contexts from the third century BCE to the fourth century CE. By analysing textual artefacts and portable material culture, the study reveals that the expansion of Isis’s divine roles and inconography was a dynamic process of cross-cultural exchange, shaped by political, religious, and social influences across the Mediterranean. The findings highlight the limitations of the static ethno-cultural labels such as ‘Egyptian’, ‘Greek’, and ‘Roman’, emphasising instead the fluidity of cultural interactions and the agency of both humans and objects in shaping identity and experience. The research critiques the globalisation-Mediterraneanisation frameworks, warning against their potential to become overly broad and lose heuristic value. However, it also demonstrates their capacity to offer nuanced insights into interconnected systems of influence, adaptation, and localisation. This study contributes to Mediterranean studies, Isiac cults, and archaeology by advocating for more reflexive, interdisciplinary methodologies and urging greater precision in the use of theoretical frameworks. Ultimately, it underscores the importance of embracing complexity, rejecting reductive narratives, and continuously refining our approaches to understanding the ancient and contemporary Mediterranean space. Description: M.A.(Melit.) Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/141171 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/133783 Title: The Maltese Labour Movement within an anti-colonial Mediterranean context : 1945-1980s Abstract: This thesis aims to explore the influences from the Mediterranean on the Maltese labour movement through a comparison with other anti-colonial Mediterranean states. This thesis also compares the influences coming into Malta from Italy as Malta’s transition into a democracy in the post-independence period is likely to have created a situation wherein Italian ideas could be applied. Various studies have been conducted on the Maltese Labour Movement from authors such as Godfrey Baldacchino, John Chircop and Dominic Fenech. This thesis aims to build upon this historiographical trend by not only including the Maltese working class as an agent of historical change establishes it as part of a wider Mediterranean history. This study demonstrates a pragmatic Maltese Labour movement which was able to be influenced by ideas and event from the Mediterranean while managing to adapt these ideas to home soil through an adaptation to the local realities. Description: M.A.(Melit.) Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/133783 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z