The impact of social change on Maltese beliefs in the supernatural : a comparative ethnography of two youth groups

Abstract

In the contemporary world, rapid social change is characterized by processes of transformation occurring within the spheres of politics and economy, as well as by new uncertainties, anxieties and experiences. This study presents an analysis of the impacts social change is having on Maltese youths' beliefs in the supernatural, especially in view of Malta's accession into the European Union in 2004. The analysis is based on ethnographic evidence collected during fieldwork carried out amongst two different groups of Maltese youths, with each of the two groups presenting distinct general patterns of social geography and style. The evidence collected suggests that in spite of a growing focus on the discourse of science, a proliferation of different supernatural beliefs is still active amongst these youths. Moreover, whilst cosmological orientations differ across the two youth groups, supernatural beliefs presented by youths from either group seem to simultaneously draw on both empirical evidence as well as cosmological elements in their generation and maintenance. This leads to a reconsideration of the view that contemporary reality implies an absolute divide between the scientific and the supernatural, and to further insight into ways in which transcendent and immanent timelines come together through supernatural beliefs in present-day Malta.