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Maltese Museologist Named Keynote Speaker at Major Italian Museum Conference

Dr Sandro Debono, Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Department of Arts, Open Communities and Adult Education at the University of Malta, delivered the opening keynote address at the Annual Assembly of ICOM Italia — the Italian National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) — held in Bari, Italy, from 17 to 19 April 2026.

The conference, themed Patrimoni del Mediterraneo: Comunità, alleanze, orizzonti comuni, brought together museum directors, curators, and heritage professionals from across Italy and the broader Mediterranean region. Dr Debono's keynote, titled Il Museo Mediterraneo come spazio culturale e narrativo, introduced a theoretical framework for what he terms Mediterranean museology, a context-specific approach to museum practice rooted in the cultural conditions of the Mediterranean basin. The keynote was received with significant appreciation by delegates, with several senior figures in the international museum sector describing it as deeply significant, bridging visuals with a broader museological discourse informed by Mediterranean cultures. 

The address forms part of a broader body of scholarly work that Dr Debono has been developing over several years, straddling theory and practice. A peer-reviewed contribution to the subject was published in 2023 in Il dono di Mnemosine, a multidisciplinary volume on museum and memory published by Luciano Editore, Naples. A chapter in a Routledge edited volume is forthcoming by end 2026 with more to follow.