The University of Malta : legacies & bearings

Abstract

Centuries of academic practice – with all the scholarly energy, intrigue and politics that come with it – is a hefty thing to be bequeathed, and to be expected to pass on intact or enriched… The University we discuss is of Malta in many ways that include the social context and bearings of the country. However, it also actively locates itself within currents that go beyond the needs and aspirations of a small island state. It is, after all, one of the foundational principles of any university that its first responsibility is to foster intellectual promiscuity, curiosity and rigour – whether or not these serve the interests of specific cultural and political systems. [excerpt]