Big city lives, small island lives : negotiating returned migrant identities in Gozo

Abstract

My interest in migration studies was first aroused when I participated in a student exchange at a university in Colorado. Through my interest in Hispanic cultures, I found myself drawn into classes about Mexican-Americans and specifically material related to emigration and cultural assimilation. Throughout my stay, I interacted with a substantial number of people who saw themselves as ethnic minorities within mainstream society. When the time came to choose my topic, it was only natural for me to look for a 'minority' of sorts. Migration was already a subject that interested me in and for itself. After all, had I not chosen to leave Malta, albeit temporarily and voluntarily, and seek greener pastures? Surely my 'universe' would be made up of people that I could comprehend and identify with. I was actively seeking to meet Maltese people who had chosen to live significant portions of their lives abroad. The decision to conduct fieldwork in Gozo was a matter of killing several birds with one stone. Gozo and its people have always fascinated me, in and for themselves. This was also opportunity to distance myself from my permanent home and truly immerse myself into 'the field'. Between July and September 2001, I conducted fieldwork in Gozo. I was living in Marsalforn, the largest tourist resort on the island. The town is located on the northern shores of Gozo, and has both sandy and rocky shoreline. Restaurants, cafes, a couple of hotels, and a large number of self-catering apartments flank its long promenade. Throughout the summer months, the population of Marsalfom is a mixture of Gozitans (particularly from Victoria) and Maltese using their summer homes, (I was particularly intrigued by a group of elderly Maltese ladies who played cards every night, without fail) as well as foreign and Maltese tourists. In recent years, it has also become a hub for schools that teach English as a foreign language. Most students in these schools are European, particularly in the 16-30 year age group.