Ethnographic research and activism : a critical, feminist, and sensory approach to Moviment Graffitti

Mouslim, J. A. (2024). Ethnographic research and activism : a critical, feminist, and sensory approach to Moviment Graffitti. Malta Review of Educational Research, 18(1), 13-29.

In many fields today, there is a call for educators to move out of their ‘ivory towers’ and into public spaces (Sandlin et al., 2017, p. 825). This critical turn toward public pedagogy, emancipatory research, and participatory (action) research has become increasingly crucial within academia. But what are the risks when educators and researchers move into public spaces where activist communities gather? This paper discusses some methodological concerns with researching activism. In this paper, I attempt to counter these concerns by employing a critical, feminist, and sensory methodology to research activist communities and their lived, embodied, and affective experiences.

Link to paper: Click here

Empowering civil society: the theatricality of protest in Malta

Cremona, V. A. (2022). Empowering civil society: the theatricality of protest in Malta. New Theatre Quarterly, 38(2), 125-138.

The recent barbaric murder of an investigative journalist in Malta who was looking into corruption at the top echelons of power sparked off a civil society movement, Repubblika, spurring ordinary citizens into participating in collective protest action. The movement also incorporated a loose grouping of women calling themselves ‘Occupy Justice’. Different forms of protest against government corruption have resulted in the resignation of various senior politicians and high-ranking officials, including the Prime Minister. Taking as a point of departure the struggle against the unequal distribution of power as defined by Michel Foucault and Jacques Rancière, the empowering force of civil protest is here examined in relation to how power is appropriated and how institutional power is resisted. Micromobilization and mesomobilization are seen as two means of staging protest and creating a common force with which to confront corrupt power structures. Protest, power, and resistance are viewed in the light of theatrical events; the creative means deployed to stage protests are discussed. The aesthetic qualities meant to transform perception and move people to action for bringing about political change are highlighted in relation to both sensory and symbolic dynamics.

Link to paper: Click here or here

Image: Robert Agius

Art activism: Art of dissent

Vella, M.G. (2023). Art activism: Art of dissent. International Journal of Education through Art (IJETA), 19(1), 11-27

Moviment Graffitti has, for the last 25 years, been active against the oppression and exploitation of people, animals and the environment with a vision of freedom, justice and radical democracy. Traversing different media, genres and styles, Moviment Graffitti has a dynamic, symbiotic and powerful relationship with art. This article will look at Graffitti’s passionate use of art as a pedagogical tool to create awareness and bring forth social change through the aesthetics of activism and the art of dissent. It explores the role, meaning and paradox of political art through the movement’s artistic sub-groups and the main artistic initiatives embarked upon. Deliberately eschewing the elitism of the art establishment, the commodification of education and culture and depoliticized notions of sustainability and development through art edu/activism (eduvism), Graffitti reappropriates art to agitate educators in revolutionary pedagogy to become pivotal actors in the promotion of progressive social change.

Link to paper: Click here

Image: Malta Today 

Twenty years of Malta’s EU membership : the impact on Maltese environmental NGOs

Briguglio, Michael (2024). Twenty years of Malta’s EU membership : the impact on Maltese environmental NGOs. 20 Years of EU Membership Paper Series, 3-16. 

In this study, the researcher analyses the impact of EU accession on Maltese Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations (ENGOs), twenty years after Malta, the smallest EU-member state, joined the Union in 2004. In the run-up to EU accession, the environment was often seen as an area which would benefit from Malta’s EU membership, especially since Malta had a lack of environmental legislation and enforcement. Not surprisingly, Environmental NGOs (ENGOs) supported Malta’s EU accession. ENGOs are major protagonists in environmental politics in Malta. Their activism covers different areas, though some issues - most notably land development, and hunting of birds - are more visible and contentious in the public sphere. Environmental protest is also one of the most common types of protest in Malta.

In this paper, the researcher investigates the impacts of Malta’s European Union (EU) accession on Environmental NGOs (ENGOs) through a sociological perspective, following two decades of Malta’s accession. For this purpose, the activism of ENGOs in relation to Malta’s EU accession was analysed, through political process theory and a social constructionist approach which engaged with the interpretations of the same ENGOs on the issue under analysis. For this purpose, primary data was collected through elite interviews with representatives from Malta’s major ENGOs. The main research question of this study is “how do ENGOs interpret the impacts of the EU, 20 years after Malta’s accession?” 

The study is a follow-up of a similar study by the same author following ten years of Malta’s EU membership. It forms part of the '20 Years of EU membership' paper series published by the Institute for European Studies, University of Malta. 

Link: https://www.um.edu.mt/media/um/docs/events/20yearseumembers/MichaelBriguglio.pdf

Introducing civil society and social movements in small states

Briguglio, L., Briguglio, M., Bunwaree, S. & Slatter, C. (2023). Introduction - Civil society and social movements in small states. In L. Briguglio, M. Briguglio, S. Bunwaree & C. Slatter (Eds.), Handbook of Civil Society and Social Movements in Small States (pp. 01-10). United Kingdom: Routledge.

There are many studies on civil society and social movements, but none that specifically deal with small states. The introduction chapter of 'Civil Society and Social Movements in Small States' presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. 

Links to article:

University of Malta Access: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/107195

Routledge Link to book: https://www.routledge.com/Handbook-of-Civil-Society-and-Social-Movements-in-Small-States/Briguglio-Briguglio-Bunwaree-Slatter/p/book/9781032377148

Public opinion and protest efficacy: A study on the proposed yacht marina in Marsaskala, Malta

Visanich, V. (2022). Public opinion and protest efficacy: a study on the proposed yacht marina in Marsaskala, Malta. Xjenza, 10(2), 103-114.

This article contributes to the analyses of the efficacy of social movements. 

Public opinion data regarding environmental concerns are central to a better understanding of the effects of social movements in sensitising environmental issues, and at times changing political decisions. In August 2021, Transport Malta issued an expression of interest for the design, construction and operation of a 700-berth yacht marina in the bay of Marsaskala, a fast-growing locality in the south east of the Maltese Islands. A social movement made up of residents, non-residents, an environmental NGO and local stakeholders organised a number of protests following the publication of the marina plans. The aim of this article is to identify underlying factors causing individuals’ concerns on the proposed development. It explores the environmental movement surrounding this concern and analyses survey data on public opinion. It does so to better understand the extent of specific areas of impact that the proposed marina would have on the community of Marsaskala. Specifically, it focuses on how this would impinge on the everyday life of citizens. Results point to the social, environmental and economic impacts that this development would have, particularly on the community infrastructure of the locality of Marsaskala. Discussion focuses on how the ongoing impact on public opinion and protest, not only on mobilising public opinion but impacting political decisions.

Online link to paper (Open Access): 

https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/102690/1/Public%20opinion%20and%20protest%20efficacy%20%20a%20study%20on%20the%20proposed%20yacht%20marina%20in%20Marsaskala%20Malta%202022.pd

Image: Wikipedia - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malta_-_Marsaskala_-_Triq_is-Salini%2BMarsaskala_Bay%2BTriq_Zonqor_02_ies.jpg#/media/File:Malta_-_Marsaskala_-_Triq_is-Salini+Marsaskala_Bay+Triq_Zonqor_02_ies.jpg

Handbook of Civil Society and Social Movements in Small States

Briguglio L., Briguglio M., Bunwaree S. & Slatter C. (Eds.) Handbook of Civil Society and Social Movements in Small States, Oxford: Routledge, 2023. 

This volume is unique because of its focus on small states. There are many studies on civil society and social movements, but none that specifically deal with this category of countries. As is well known, small states have particular characteristics, including a limited ability to reap the benefits of economies of scale, a high degree of exposure to forces outside their control, and the proximity of politicians to the voters, often leading to clientelistic relationships and patronage networks. The small island developing states have the additional problem of high environmental vulnerability, with some also dealing with disproportionate ecological footprints. These factors have a bearing on the organization and performance of civil society organizations and social movements, as explained in several chapters of this book.

The volume is organized in three parts, dealing with aspects of civil society and social moments in small states in the political, social and environmental spheres, respectively. Various definitions of civil society are proposed in the chapters, but most authors associate the term with organized groups, operating in the interest of citizens, independently of government and commercial business, including various forms of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Civil society also encompasses social movements, which are considered to be loosely organized collective campaigns in pursuit of social goals. These two terms are sometimes used interchangeably; however, some authors argue that social movements tend to engage in ‘contentious politics’ including protests, while NGOs engage through more organized and institutional routes.

Routledge Link to book - Click here

University of Malta access to book: Click here 

Image: Shutterstock via Routledge