The social representations of the Maltese towards Arabs living in Malta

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the Social Representations of the Maltese population towards Arabs living in Malta. A qualitative approach was chosen, consisting of three focus groups, each one comprising of eight participants of different age groups. The first focus group consisted of participants between the ages of 18 and 35, the second one of ages between 35 and 50, while the third of ages 50 and above. The reason behind this was to highlight the main correspondences and dissimilarities in the way different generations view Arabs. Data was analysed using thematic analysis, were three global themes common amongst the three focus groups were identified. Although common, the opinions and arguments presented by different generations somewhat differed from each other. A limitation of this study was that it involved only twenty four Maltese citizens. Thus, findings cannot really be generalised to the whole Maltese population.