/library/oar/handle/123456789/10352 2025-11-13T23:20:54Z 2025-11-13T23:20:54Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/126788 2024-09-19T09:22:16Z 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Karattri frammentati fin-novelli ta’ Immanuel Mifsud Abstract: Għażilt li niddiskuti x-xogħol ta’ Immanuel Mifsud għax huwa wieħed mill-aqwa kittieba kontemporanji Maltin u għandu karattri intriganti ħafna fir-rakkonti tiegħu. Iffukajt fuq numru ta’ novelli, u ħallejt barra l-poeżiji u r-rakkont awtobijografiku tiegħu, għax għandu għadd kbir ta’ novelli u kieku qbadthom kollha fid-dettall kont nispiċċa naqbeż illimitu ta’ kliem permess f’teżi bħal din. Filwaqt li n-novelli ta’ Mifsud huma, il-parti l-kbira tagħhom, rakkonti intriganti, kollha għandhom karatteristiċi differenti minn xulxin, għalhekk uħud minnhom juru lillprotagonisti b’mod effettiv fil-binja tagħhom, oħrajn jiffukaw aktar fuq l-istilistika jew ittematika bħala karatteristiċi li jikkumplimentaw il-binja tal-karattri u jsaħħu lframmentazzjoni fihom, fost oħrajn. Għażilt novelli bħal “Demm,” “Anne u Sylvia,” “IlLejl l-Iswed taċ-Ċief,” u “L-Istejjer Strambi ta’ Sara Sue Sammut” fil-kapitlu dwar ilkarattri nisa għax huma novelli rrakkuntati mill-protagonisti femminili stess u matulhom il-qarrejja jistgħu jsegwu l-vjaġġ li jagħmlu l-karattri b’mod dirett. Għalhekk l-idea aħħarija li jisiltu dwar dak li jkunu qraw aktarx tkun aktar qrib tat-test. Barra minn hekk, huma u jaqraw il-qarrejja jħossuhom aktar viċin tal-protagonisti milli kieku l-istorja tkun irrakkuntata minn karattru differenti. Għall-kuntrarju ta’ dan, novelli bħal “8½,” “Rubi,” u “Angela, Jane u Lina” huma rrakkuntati minn narratur omnixxjenti jew minn narratur omodijeġetiku raġel li jitkellem dwar il-karattri nisa. Għalhekk, l-idea li jibnu r-rakkont dwar il-karattri femminili prinċipali kapaċi tibqa’ waħda patrijarkali, kif inhi l-perspettiva f’ħafna narrattiva Maltija. Novelli bħal “Sonia” u “Priscilla,” għalkemm huma xogħlijiet eponimiċi, ma jagħtux wisq dinamiċità lill-protagonisti, għaldaqstant ħassejt li hemm novelli oħra b’karattri aktar kumplessi, bħal “Gideb,” “Spag” u “Lejl ma’ Amy Winehouse,” li joffru perspettivi interessanti. Bl-istess mod “Duħħan: Jew Fdal ta’ Mħabba” ma tidħolx f’wisq dettall dwar il-karattri prinċipali tagħha, waqt li “Ritratti Meħuda s-Sibt Filgħaxija” aktar jistħoqqilha tiġi ttrattata minħabba l-istil ta’ kitba frammentat tagħha. Fin-novelli “Gżejjer” u “Imħabba u Soċjaliżmu” tidher l-idea tal-mara li fis-senswalità kollha tagħha terġa’ lura, f’għajnejn ir-raġel, għall-innoċenza tat-tfulija, ħarsa li fiha nara element patrijarkali qawwi minkejja li tidher “innoċenti.” […] Description: M.A.MALTESE

2014-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/113378 2023-11-09T14:03:06Z 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The net at home : a sociological inquiry into internet use, family and the domestic space Abstract: The principal aim of this study is based on the number of accounts, which various relatives and friends of the author shared with him about how they were experiencing the use of the Internet in their homes. The thought behind this research has been to explore scientifically the experience of the Maltese family in this scenario. Although the literature reviewed shows that Internet use studies have been analysed from different angles, there are still aspects that have not been explored. There exists no deep qualitative research which can throw light on this phenomenon. An important issue which has not yet been explored enough is tied to the experience of the use of the Internet in the home and the impact it is having on the dynamics of family life. This study is therefore the first, local, tentative qualitative research of its kind, one that is exploring the phenomenon that the Maltese family is experiencing. To reach its aims, this study had to apply a Research Design which contains all the tools necessary to collect both primary and secondary and data. It was therefore decided to apply a phenomenological approach with aspects of narrative-ethnography. This approach has three methods incorporated in one: A) interviews based on a Single Question Aimed at Inducing Narrative Approach, (SQUIN) and the Convergent Interviewing Approach, B) the use of Time Diaries (revisit) based on a Longitudinal Study Approach and C) a style of writing based on the narrative approach whereby it relates what is happening and not just convey information. As this study is directly tied to the Maltese family, and due to the fact that nowadays it is very difficult to define a family as there are diverse opinions of what the term “family” means, it was necessary to find out the types of families existing in Malta today. Six types of families have been identified for this study, namely: The Traditional / Nuclear families (including families with members with special needs), the Joint-custody families/ Cohabiting families, the Single – parent families, (Males and Females), the Child – free families, the Blended/Step-families / Reconstituted/Reestablished families, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) families (Males and Females). This research is composed of 3 samples: 1) The General Families Sample, composed of 36 families, made up of 90 individual members, representing the 6 types of families; 2) The 6 Key Respondents Families Sample, also representing the 6 types of families; and 3) The Professional Experts Sample, composed of experts coming from the fields of Psychology, Psychiatry, Sociology, Morality, Philosophy and Architecture. The latter interpreted how the family and information technology evolved together, in the past 20 years. The information collected through the secondary data served as a background to the study, while the data collected during the interviews and the information from the Time Diaries produced salient proof of how the Internet at home is affecting families. The stories related by members of participating families, the reports of the professional experts together with the data collected from the Time Diaries during the summer and winter seasons, were all analysed in a thematic way. (Thematic Analysis) The main conclusions stemming from this research show that primarily, the use of the Internet in the home seems to be leaving an undesirable impact on family life. Accounts of participants, who look on Internet use in the home as a detriment to the family, were very salient. They mentioned particularly lack of interaction among family members, especially at times when they should be together, like at breakfast, lunch and supper, poor results in school tests and isolation. Though a negative aspect of the use of the Internet in the home dominated the study, other positive experiences were recorded, where the Internet helped family members to interact more because of the breaking down of time and space. Teleworking, more independent life amongst persons with special needs, and studying were amongst the salient aspects mentioned as being positive regarding Internet use at home. Description: PH.D.

2022-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/101127 2022-08-29T08:45:15Z 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Nail technician awareness of the exposure to chemicals and airborne particles in nail salons in Malta Abstract: The aim of this study was to understand the level of awareness of nail technicians in Malta in relation to the exposure of chemicals and airborne particles during the course of their work at nail salons. Adverse occurrences may be manifested due to the procedure itself as a response to the chemical substances used in nail cosmetics. The service includes a number of steps and the use of various products which can be hazardous to health, if suitable and sufficient mitigation measures are not in place. Consequently the study focused on the number of years doing the job and the amount of hours performed, in relation to the duration of exposure to the chemical substances. Of due significance was the training that nail technicians followed in relation to the knowledge and interest on the hazards of product components. In this respect the importance given by the nail technicians to the type of air they breathe in and whether or not they were ensuring adequate salon ventilation was considered. Respondents were also questioned on their perception of wearing personal protective clothing, the type used, and first aid knowledge including fire safety. The older generation of nail technicians was more apprehensive about health issues implicated during the performance of their work, although they were not sufficiently aware of the hazardous properties of the chemical substances used in nail cosmetics. The concept of ventilation which is of the utmost importance for a safe breathing environment was lacking. The system adopted by the majority of the salons was insufficient to reduce contaminants in the salon. Many accepted to become compliant if more guidance and education was readily available. It was concluded that the work of a nail technician can only be done safely if safe systems of work are adopted and the right steps followed. These include proper training and education which is the key to improving awareness, some common sense applied to the work practices and appropriate ventilation systems. Description: DIP.SOC.STUD.

2014-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/100891 2022-08-24T06:58:44Z 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: A study of psychological harassment among public sector workers in Malta Abstract: The topic of psychological harassment at the workplace is one which is generating an increasing amount of attention in recent years. Although many studies have been done across Europe and North America, very little information is available regarding the local situation. This gap in information provided the motivation behind this study, which set out to investigate psychological harassment among public sector workers in Malta. This quantitative study was conducted by means of an online questionnaire, which was completed by 118 workers. The questionnaire first measured awareness and prevalence of psychological harassment and subsequently, respondents were asked how often they had been victims of bullying in the six months prior to the survey according to a provided definition. Those respondents who responded affirmatively were asked to provide details of the perpetrator. On the whole, a high level of awareness of psychological harassment was reported, with prevalence varying greatly from item to item. When considering exposure to at least one of the negative acts, 25% of respondents were found to be victims of psychological harassment on a regular basis. In contrast, when using the given definition of bullying, this figure dropped to just two per cent. The significant difference between methods indicates that although respondents are exposed to negative acts, they are hesitant to label themselves as victims of psychological harassment. The level of awareness of psychological harassment differed slightly according to the characteristics of the respondents, while that of prevalence (considering respondents who had been exposed to at least one negative act in the six months prior to the survey) differed significantly. Bullies were found to be predominantly male, older than the victim, and occupying a higher position than the victim. The study provides an overview of the situation in the Maltese Public Sector and sets the scene for more detailed research to be carried out in the future in the Private Sector. Description: DIP.SOC.STUD.

2014-01-01T00:00:00Z