The religious historical continuity of Maltese identity : the role it plays on protracted displacement

Abstract

A sizable portion of the fervently Catholic Maltese culture rejects the Church's modern social teachings that call for welcoming foreigners, especially the most vulnerable. This paper strives to comprehend how this religious identity contributes to the negative perceptions of others, particularly of refugees, asylum seekers, and irregular migrants. It is possible to draw on Vamik Volkan's idea of comprehending the anxieties and trepidations of the host country by looking at historical events that Maltese identity theorists have highlighted as significant and alive in the collective memory. Finding negotiables, non-negotiables, and patterns that will help aid a narrative shift to one of multiculturalism and favourable attitudes toward the other will be made possible by content analysis and contribute to the ongoing conversation about collective memory. I hope to accomplish this by examining how Malta's religious salience and perceptions, alongside the arrival of foreigners, have shaped Maltese identity. Therefore, a historical analysis of religious identity may offer individualized identity management techniques that aid in promoting a change in perception in the host nation and, as a result, lessen protracted displacement.