/library/oar/handle/123456789/133222 2025-11-06T12:23:56Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/133320 Title: The lived experiences of poverty in old age : a Maltese case Authors: Gialanzè, Brian Abstract: This study explores the experiences of older persons living in situations of poverty in Malta. Using qualitative research, this study builds an understanding of the everyday realities of persons over the age of 65 living in poverty in two localities in Malta: Ħamrun and Cospicua. Interviews were conducted with these persons to make sense of their situations of deprivation. The contribution to knowledge of this article is threefold: it is an exploration of the roots of poverty; its current manifestations, and the navigating ways in dealing with the situation of deprivation. Discussions with participants revealed that the situation of poverty is not only apparent in their living conditions, but they also experience different forms of relative deprivation. Additionally, findings point to the fact that limited financial means has its toll not only on situations of poverty but also on social exclusion. Nevertheless, part of the mitigating techniques used by these persons to deal with situations of poverty include having a strong social network within the respective towns, especially by neighbours and church representatives, to provide an immediate safety net for these older persons. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/133313 Title: Mapping the ecosystem : relational dynamics of Malta's women’s organisations Authors: Borġ, Maria C. Abstract: This paper presents the landscape of women’s organisations (WOs) in Malta and Gozo exploring their relationships as part of civil society and their role in the public sphere. It focuses on WOs active in 2021, when civil society was recognised for its influence on national leadership in Malta. WOs play an integral role in this landscape, contributing to feminist and gender-related advocacy as well as wider societal issues. Sociological literature increasingly views civil society as a networked ecosystem that links organisations with varied interests, strategies, and networks. This study investigates the relational dynamics among WOs and their relations with institutions, addressing three key questions: (i) what are the relations of WOs with institutions?; (ii) how, if at all, does the structure of relations among WOs contribute to the making of an ‘ecosystem’?; and (iii) what are the main factors which facilitate or hinder collaborations among WOs? This research builds on Diani’s (2015) modes of collective action, applying both aggregative and relational approaches, along with social capital theory, to understand the significance of the bonds formed by these WOs. Based on surveys and qualitative interviews with 52 WOs in Malta and Gozo in early 2021, the study maps the complex web of relations within this ecosystem. The findings suggest that women’s organisations coordinate through different coalitions across different issues. The ecosystem of WOs remains vulnerable to fragmentation, particularly around contentious topics like abortion, despite the overall strength of bridging social capital in promoting trust and collaboration. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/133304 Title: ‘We’re all born naked and the rest is drag’ : constructing and performing a drag queen self in Malta Authors: Caruana, Therese Abstract: This study seeks to visualise the art of drag through a sociological lens in an attempt to explore and understand the journey individuals undertake to construct and perform a drag queen self, particularly in Malta, where the existing drag scene is a niche community within an already small-scale local context. Although the process of constructing and performing a drag queen self has received little attention in empirical research, this study basis its framework on sociological contributions related to gender construction and gender performance. In existing literature, scholarly works attribute drag performances to a simultaneous ability to reproduce and contest the gender order in heteronormative societies. To investigate the experiences of drag queens and their efforts in constructing and preforming a drag persona, this research captured the ventures of three Maltese drag queens through in- and out-of-drag interviews. The exploratory data was analysed in a thematic approach to generate a narrative record of the research findings. The latter illustrates how drag facilitates individuals to express inherent fondness for performing and engaging in female attire in a confident manner to reveal their ‘inner drag queen’ on stage. In such settings, drag queens highly value social interactions with audiences who expect hyperbolical exhibitions of gender. In doing so, drag queens simultaneously subvert the heteronormative gender order and reproduce exaggerated and illusionary depictions of heteronormative gender norms. Such ability confirms RuPaul Charles’ (2018) catchphrase which suggests that our perceived reality is an illusion, hence “we’re all born naked and the rest is drag”. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/133303 Title: House names in Senglea : communicating identities in a fortified town in Malta Authors: Baldacchino, Godfrey; Galea, Stefan; Atteneder, Jana Serena; Azzopardi, Jana Hélène; Cooper, Emma Louise; Kelliher, Niamh; Mula, Abigail; Saj, Angelina; Solberg Bell, Daniel Henry Abstract: Malta is one of the few countries in the world where most dwellings are assigned names by their owners or occupants. Building on previous research on house naming practices in the Maltese Islands, this paper zooms in on just one locality, one of the smallest: the fortified town of Senglea. The methodology this time involved (a) desk research identifying house names from a recent electoral register; and (b) fieldwork on site, whereby the specifics and extent of house names were confirmed or revised, and where home occupants were invited to discuss and disclose the reason(s) for naming their house, and for their particular choice of name. The results suggest that: (a) there are many more house names than are reported in Malta’s Electoral Register; and (b) categorising house names according to what come across as self-evident labels can prove naive and incorrect. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z