Malta and the Maltese : a study in nineteenth century migration

Abstract

The primary purpose of this publication is to reinforce the view that phenomena such as migration cannot be understood except when related to the total social life-economic, political and cultural- of the community under study. Admittedly, it is often necessary to spend much time and labour establishing basic facts-numbers migrating, years of movement, places of settlement, and so on-but this, essentially, is no more than a preparation for further considerations. Nor is it adequate to follow the example of those writers who feel they they have explained all that needs explaining when they have related migration to economic conditions in their country of origin and country of settlement: a people's initiative, their political ha!bits and institutions, their religion, their language, and countless other social and cultural characteristics, play as significant a part as do forces arising directly from economic environment.