Water as an expression of a cultural identity

Abstract

The place of water in socio-cultural dynamics is manifested differently in different societies. Malta is no exception in the way water is used to communicate various socio-cultural meanings that transcend its fundamental biological urgency. Water intersects with everyday practices in ways that often pass unnoticed. As water becomes a modicum that establishes relationships between individuals, it also becomes an agent in the creation of personhood. Such behaviour is neither a continuum as activities surrounding water have changed through time. Water generates a series of different meanings depending on a person’s socio-economic background. This chapter will explore, through archival evidence, aspects of a water culture that further help us understand the meanings associated with water. The discussion would focus on concepts of power, control and influence through the use of water through time. This anthropological approach allows for a better understanding of how particular cultural concepts of cleanliness and purification. This approach is less about water and more about the definition of an individual’s socio-cultural behaviour through the use of water – an alternative way of defining one’s position in society – therefore – lanqas tiswa l-ilma li tixrob.