An overview of research on the recent migration of Italians in Malta

Abstract

Over the past decade, Malta has seen a steady increase in the amount of Italian nationals who work, study and reside on the island. This is a significant recent development in the contacts between Malta and Italy and represents another important milestone in the relationships between the two countries, rooted in language, history and culture. Today, Italians are practically present in every sector of Maltese society and their move to the island is mainly determined by employment opportunities in an Anglophone context which is geographically close to their homeland. Research on this migration has been carried out over the past years in order to investigate language issues, schooling and socialisation. In this paper I provide an overview of the main results obtained in these studies, while also reflecting on how they are relevant for future research on Italians in Malta.