Forging a national epic for a newly-sovereign state : narrative, myth and identity in Maltese nation-building (1964 – 2004)

Abstract

Purpose: This study seeks to identify whether the narratives of national identity constructed by political actors weakened Maltese nation-building during the formative years (1964 – 2004) of Malta’s existence as a sovereign state prior to the settlement of the main constitutional issues in 2004. It has three-fold research objectives: to identify the role of the intelligentsia and the political class in the creation of political nationalism; to identify the key factors shaping the contending political narratives of national identity. Such narratives were developed, encouraged and propagated by the two main political parties; and to assess how such narratives impacted the political climate in post-colonial Malta and how, therefore, they affected nation-building. Design / Methodology / Approach: This study adopts a qualitative approach based on a theoretical framework formulated through an extensive review of scholarly literature which weaves the different theoretical points of view on nations and nationalism, identity and memory in the context of nation-building, thus producing a coherent framework for analysis. The analysis is based on an extensive review of the narratives propagated in the period 1964 – 2004. Findings: The study concludes that, while divisive, the narratives did not weaken Maltese statebuilding though, paradoxically, they often remain unattached to the state. Moreover, despite the differences, the narratives may have also indirectly strengthened Maltese nation-building. Originality / Value: The study analyses Maltese political development in the period 1964 – 2004, taking political narratives and identity as the main focal point of this analysis, thereby contributing to the literature on the period under consideration.