Event: Contemporary ³Òħ²¹²Ô²¹, a social field
Date: Tuesday 25 February 2025
Time: 18:00
Venue: Ħursun Farmhouse, Mediterranean Institute, Msida Campus
The next session of the Mediterranean Institute Seminar is titled ‘Contemporary ‘³Òħ²¹²Ô²¹â€™, a social field’, and will be delivered by artist and researcher George Mario Attard, who was last year awarded an M.A. (Research) in Mediterranean Studies with Distinction from the Mediterranean Institute.
The seminar will explore how ³Òħ²¹²Ô²¹ is a social field, a domain of activity for its own sake, with distinct roles, practices and organisation. It is a field with its own social logic, symbolic capital, social capital and material culture. The particular focus shall be on how the logic of ³Òħ²¹²Ô²¹ performances, Serati, is informed by four factors. First, the aficionados and dilettanti need to be considered alongside the għannejja and kitarristi. Second, ³Òħ²¹²Ô²¹ is performed within a market offering four types of events, that vary in terms of formality, budget and the exceptionality of the programme. Third, control over events is exercised by ‘impresarios’ who put together programmes and, in practice, restrict access to certain għannejja and guitarists. Finally, the prestige of events is determined by the fact that Serati are promoted and experienced as agonistic dramas, which cannot be reduced to singing and music. Indeed, it is through explaining ³Òħ²¹²Ô²¹ as a social field that we can begin to understand why għannejja and aficionados alike reject the notion that ³Òħ²¹²Ô²¹ can be adequately described as singing.
George Mario Attard is an artist and researcher. Being a Gozitan, his creative and academic work is deeply influenced by the Maltese islands’ culture and globalisation. This research commenced in an art project exploring the Maltese language, which led to a deeper investigation on ³Òħ²¹²Ô²¹, and culminated in a four-year ethnographic and transdisciplinary research project in Mediterranean Studies, specialising in Anthropology and Ethnomusicology undertaken at the Mediterranean Institute, University of Malta. His current practice incorporates ethnography and archival research, furthering his exploration of cultural studies. Attard is currently based in his studio in Gozo and teaches at the MAVC Malta School of Art, Valletta.
Participation in this Seminar is free and open to the public. Students are particularly encouraged to attend. A Q&A will follow on from the seminar presentation. Attendees are cordially invited to stay on for drinks and refreshments after the event. Seating is limited and bookings for this event are on a first-come-first-served basis. To reserve a place, kindly email Ms Isabelle Abela at isabelle.abela@um.edu.mt
