No man is an island : the role of social networks in facilitating the integration of African migrants into Maltese society

Abstract

“At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie” (Coelho, 1995, p. 17). This dissertation set out to understand and present the complex connections between barriers experienced by humanitarian migrants and the potential impact of relationships following arrival. In so doing, this study gave a voice to migrants from different sub-Saharan countries, to express and reinforce what has acted as a useful tool or barrier to integration whilst in Malta. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were carried out using a narrative inquiry qualitative approach to capture the participants’ stories of starting a new life in Malta, stories that highlighted the joint effort of citizens and migrants required in bringing about successful integration and thus regaining control over their lives. As the participants retold their story of how networks were formed and altered depending on their situational needs, an analogy to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was identified. It was found that those who met their needs had a higher sense of integration. In summary, the findings of this study fall on a wide spectrum of what social networks have meant or not meant for the participants: from someone who has lived miserably in Malta devoid of any network, rather isolated, and on the other end of the spectrum, persons with a vibrant social network eagerly wanting to cross fertilise their network with Maltese society. What is mostly revealed is how a rich network requires more than simply ethnic ties, and more than simply Maltese ties, as participants journeyed through physiological needs towards self-actualisation upon arriving in Malta. This study thus recognises the importance of the multiple social networks that interplay in the life of immigrants as they struggle to rebuild their life in a new country.