Mall as a measure of society

Abstract

Maltese visitors to Gozo frequently describe the nearby island’s more traditional, rural, and quiet at-mosphere as part of the reasoning in selecting the island for their holiday getaways. While the repu-tation of a pristine cultural experience shines through the minds of tourists, in actuality it is notice-able just how Gozitan businesses try to manipulate this presumed authentic standing into a lucrative market. The dichotomy of the tourist “authentic aesthetic” and the globalized, commercialized status of the island are well represented by the island’s capital city of Victoria’s two larger shopping com-plexes, Arkadia and Tigrija Palazz. By comparing these two centers of commerce, I argue that there are two contrasting business sentiments – one that promotes use of a specified Gozitan culture and another which relies more on the more contemporary sense of internationalism. While these two outlooks of representation initially seem divided, a closer look shows contradictions riddled between both spaces that are evocative of the multifaceted modern Gozitan identity. In comparing the two environments, I also present some of the sharp contrasts between customers and employees of these two spaces and smaller shops around Gozo.