International Conference, Malta, 14-15 April 2016
«Il mondo non è fatto di isole, ma le include come punti di riferimento, tappe per il viaggiatore, fermate lungo l'itinerario del navigatore. Le isole sono, per così dire, interruzioni. E dunque realtà specifiche, diverse, meravigliose». O. Friggieri
The idea of organizing an international conference in the beautiful island of Malta stems out from a wider cultural and literary project enacted by Angelo Fàvaro on the theme of “Mediterraneità Europea” (Sinestesie online). The theme chosen for this conference is “Malta: identità e identificazione nella civiltà del Mediterraneo, o della Mediterraneità Europea”. The multifaceted cultural identity of the archipelago of the Republic of Malta has not only been influenced by the closer North African and Sicilian cultures, but also by others pertaining to the Eastern and Western basins of the Mediterranean, as well as by the Northern Anglo-Saxon domain. Malta bears witness to the remarkable influence of many different civilisations such as the Phoenician, the Greek, the Punic, the Roman, the Byzantine, the Arabic, the Norman, the Aragonese, the French and the English. This conglomeration of cultures makes of this island a unique space of encounter and confrontation of various cultures in the European Union. This is very eloquently testified by the lexical nature of the Maltese language, as well as by the kaleidoscopic cultural identities entangled within the Maltese national identity. This crossroads of cultures, over its thousand year history, allows to perceive, both through a diachronic and a contemporary view, a unique cultural space in Europe. In 2017, Malta will take the helm, for the first time in history, of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Thus the conference starts right from Calypso’s islands to try and uncover through literature, history and the study of civilisations, that peculiar condition of cultural osmosis and confrontation in the midst of diversity. The reflection aroused by this conference hopes to offer a valid contribution to the definition of cultural identity formation which allows the inclusion of diverse cultures located beyond one’s own national borderlines. The conference, which has attracted scholars from all over Europe, is promoted by the Department of Italian of the University of Malta Junior College, by the Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata”, by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Malta and by the Rivista di Studi Sinestesie online.
For further information and programme visit the following link.
Participation is free of charge.
