Documenting official Maltese identity : a case study of Malta’s passport applications

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to consider what elements constitute a country’s official national identity. It examines the Maltese official national identity as evidenced by the applications for a Maltese passport. This paper argues that while the consideration of national identity determined by primordial elements remains an abstract concept which is therefore difficult to delineate, the exploration of an official identity is based on the information harvested from tangible documents and can therefore be described more objectively and rationally. In order to do this, this dissertation paper first examines theories propounded by Robertson which suggest that official identity can be determined by considering the official documentation of the individual and the processes that govern the collection and cataloguing of the documents as well as the dissemination of the information contained therein. Works on documentary practices by Frohmann and Buckland are discussed in order to support Robertson’s theories. The theoretical discussion is supplemented by a longitudinal case study whereby the evolution of one particular official document, the application for a Maltese passport, has been studied and analysed. Conclusions indicate that documentary practices, although subject to change, have provided the foundation for the construct of official national identity to materialise.