https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/4607 Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:21:24 GMT 2026-07-27T11:21:24Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148211 Title: Mediterranean Jews, Crypto-Jews and the Inquisition in Early Modern Malta Authors: Cassar, Carmel Abstract: This study explores the history and role of the small Jewish and crypto-Jewish (converso) population in Malta under the rule of the Hospitaller Order of St John from 1530 to 1798. Utilizing extensively recovered records from the Roman Inquisition Tribunal of Malta, along with municipal, parish, and Order archives, the author examines how Sephardic, Ashkenazi, Italian, and Levantine Jews—predominantly captured as slaves during corsairing activities—interacted with the island's Catholic majority. The work analyzes the Legal-Inquisitorial frameworks governing religious identity, baptism, circumcision, and apostasy, alongside societal dynamics like healing practices, sorcery, trade restrictions, conversion, and redemption efforts led by international Jewish ransom societies. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148211 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148210 Title: Aspects of Floriana’s eighteenth-century foodscape Authors: Buttigieg, Noel Abstract: This paper explores the socio-economic and spatial developments of Floriana during the eighteenth century through the lens of its foodscape. Focusing on how food and water infrastructure facilitated demographic growth and urban identity, the study examines the role of water reserves (such as the Wignacourt aqueduct), licensed food operators (taverns, animal sellers, bakers, and food hawkers), and bread production systems. Utilizing historical court records from the Magna Curia Castellanæ and Libri Carcerati, it also highlights peripheral socio-cultural practices, including food smuggling, organized grain thefts, local food production, and early agricultural curiosities like the introduction of the potato. Ultimately, the paper demonstrates how food distribution, regulation, and consumption transformed Floriana from a suburban enclave into a self-sustaining, vibrant urban settlement. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148210 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148209 Title: The art of negotiating an existence : power, faith, society & the Order of St John Authors: Cassar, George; Munro, Dane; Buttigieg, Noel Abstract: The Art of Negotiating an Existence: Power, Faith, Society & The Order of St John is an edited collection of twenty-two original interdisciplinary studies exploring the history, culture, and legacy of the Knights Hospitaller (Order of St John). Transitioning from traditional military narratives, the volume examines how power, faith, identity, and community were continuously negotiated across Europe and the Mediterranean. Topics range from medieval defense preparations, early modern diplomacy, devotional renewal, and naval warfare to civic administration, art patronage, medicine, usury, material culture, and modern humanitarian missions. Combining archival research and visual documentation, this volume highlights the interplay between the extraordinary and everyday processes shaping Maltese identity and governance from the late 15th century into the modern era. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148209 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148197 Title: Reorganising Malta’s early twentieth-century milkscape : a failed attempt? Authors: Buttigieg, Noel Abstract: In the opening years of the twentieth century, the Maltese archipelago lent its name to an illness whose origin was scientifically studied in Malta. Better known as Malta Fever, those suffering from this condition consumed milk from goats infected with a pathogen known as Brucellosis. In 1907, the British colonial government embarked on a process to address the spread of undulant fever. Despite the various official attempts to address the problem, Malta’s milkscape remains relatively unchanged, even in the immediate years following the Second World War. This research highlights two trends that have yet to be primarily understood. In some cases, the narrative was construed in a biased manner, conveniently choosing those aspects that politically fit the agenda of those with particular aspirations. While revisiting the documents, an attempt is made to contextualise the complex web of affairs that came to dominate the story of milk in twentieth-century Malta. Against this background, this exploratory study attempts to present an additional layer of interpretation to another aspect of Malta’s intangible cultural heritage. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148197 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z