Event: Locality, Community, Mobility: The Case of Ħal Qormi San Bastjan WIPSS Seminar By Sara Mari Cardona
Date: Thursday 20 February 2025
Time: 17:00
Venue: Faculty of Arts Library, Old Humanities Building, University of Malta
Works in Progress Seminar Series (WIPSS) - Faculty of Arts, University of Malta
Works in Progress Seminar Series (WIPSS) - Faculty of Arts, University of Malta
Commeting on her presentation, Sara Mari Cardona told us "My research addresses the ways in which notions of community, mobility and locality are intertwined with one another and how such notions unfold within the context of Ħal Qormi San Bastjan. Namely I address notions of community as well as people’s experiences of place in relation to mobility. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with people who have a connection with Ħal Qormi San Bastjan, specifically residents, people who run businesses in the locality, people who have family ties in the area, people who used to live in Ħal Qormi San Bastjan, members from different community-based organisations as well as the mayor and the parish priest. In addition to this, first-hand observations and personal experiences in the locality proved to be useful in order to better understand and interpret the data in the appropriate context. This research problematises the relationship between community and mobility and argues that community can and often does accommodate a range of mobilities. Furthermore, my research also establishes that locality is often built on histories and biographies of movement thus, indicating that mobility can and often does have strong place-making qualities. My study also suggests that people experience place in very tangible ways through place-making practices such as the celebration of the village feast as well as through daily lived experiences within the locality. This study builds upon my previous research which addressed the ways in which community-based organisations within the same locality of Ħal Qormi San Bastjan were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic."
The presentation will be followed by a discussion.
Sara Mari Cardona is a Master of Arts in Sociology graduate. The research she carried out for her Masters dissertation addresses the ways in which community, place and mobility interact, doing so through the case study of Ħal Qormi San Bastjan. Her previous research addressed the ways in which community-based organisations within the same locality were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
More information about this WIPSS Seminar is available on the Facebook page.