France in the Maltese collective memory : an analysis of the perceptions and interpretations of the uprising against the French (1798) and their place in the national memory as perpetuated by the media to modern times

Abstract

This study attempts to investigate a crucial period of Maltese history at the end of the eighteenth century and analyze its possible effects on the national collective memory and subsequent identity formation of the Maltese. In the belief that after an uprising by the majority of the inhabitants against Bonaparte's newly-installed republic in 1798, the place of France in the Maltese collective memory has been shaped by various media through a series of perceptions and interpretations, this researcher examines passive and active collective remembering and invented traditions as introduced by dominant institutions, namely the British colonial rulers and the Catholic Church, over the past two centuries. Through literature relevant to collective memory theories, particularly those of a presentist perspective, this study proceeds to determine the significance these mnemonic products and practices must have had on the formation of Malta's present perceived identity. After scrutinizing the veracity of textual data surrounding the insurrection and subsequent two-year blockade as related by foreign and Maltese eyewitnesses and narrators, all suffering from apparent partiality, the researcher analyzes their relationship with the media and public space mnemonics vis-a-vis their generational influence on the community. In this investigation the author attempts to find out if contemporary Maltese citizens are suffering from a 'historical malady', victims of a 'forgetful' blocked memory which could possibly prevent the necessary development of vigorous links between past experience and future expectation. Analyzing its final conclusions this study enables the researcher to make suggestions and recommendations regarding the way forward towards the construction of a Maltese identity that rightly represents all.