Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1151507
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 AUGUST 2019 DAVID HUDSON OBSESSION with economic growth is part and parcel of masculinist big-boy leader- ship. Such is the theory of American feminist Nancy Fraser, endorsed by social an- thropologist Rachael Scicluna. Scicluna believes that eco- nomic growth is now the ma- choism of the West, a phe- nomenon not exclusive to Malta, but big growth on a little island makes the country an ideal case study. Scicluna, an advisor to Rod- erick Galdes, the social ac- commodation parliamentary secretary, spent 12 years carry- ing out ethnographic research on the intersection between home, housing, domestic life, feminism, politics, gender and sexuality. Speaking to MaltaToday, Sci- cluna said that governments tend to base their leadership on masculinist values and a positivist economic strategy obsessed with growth rather than collectivity and the com- mon good. "This neoliberal govern- ance is largely based on so- cial injustice," she said. "Due to maldistribution of wealth among other things, participa- tory equality becomes almost impossible to achieve, allow- ing the ones at the top to have strong sway over the country's flow of wealth. This can be especially gleaned from insti- tutional decision-making and the planning of infrastructure and urban policies. "In Malta, we are still at a stage where we do not have an urban system that seeks to im- plement planning that brings together demographic chang- es, cultural shifts, the environ- ment, and economy. To date, the emphasis has been on the importance of the built envi- ronment, and not enough at- tention has been granted to social relations and the key role they hold in determining the well-being of urban com- munities," Scicluna says. Reflective of this is an an- thropological report on the aftermath of Valletta 2018, revealing how disgruntled city residents were often side-lined for businesses and urban re- generation. For Scicluna, it all boils down to the "male profile of power", where social injustice can be legitimised based on mascu- linist values of growth and success. "Social injustice can be le- gitimised based on masculinist values of participation in the labour workforce, at home, and beyond. For example, this could explain the feminisation of poverty, such as single fe- male-led households fall with- in the 'at-the-risk of poverty' category due to the difficul- ties of finding child-friendly policies or flexible hours in the workplace," Scicluna says. "While the government can introduce schemes that are at first glance benevolently egali- tarian and inclusive, this is more often than not a smoke- screen for the muscular hand behind those schemes." Understanding housing through the queer lens Buzzwords like 'integration', 'equality for all', 'inclusivity', are all part of the current po- litical narrative. Yet they could also be mere superficial un- dertakings and a half-hearted mimicry of feminist values, which attempt to hide the contradictory political mo- tives, such as the privatisation of land. "Such glossy and sleek poli- cies can be confusing espe- cially when citizens are faced with taking decisions such as voting," Scicluna says. She argued that the antidote to all this can be described as the 'queering' of policymaking. "In order to move away from a static and biased worldview upon which institutions are generally based, I contend that we should 'queer' policy. The term 'queer' is used as a paradigm in order to bypass the conservatism present both within and outside the realm of policymaking, governance and academia. Such an ap- proach does not 'box' experi- ences into neat categories and norms," Scicluna says. But is it doable? Policymak- ers, after all, issue schemes based on typical domestic sit- uations—in the housing sec- tor, for example, government schemes such as the first-time buyers and equity sharing are all based on norms of daily Maltese family life. Scicluna argues that this scheme-based approach al- ready ignores the fluidity in- side households, and tends to frame Maltese domestic and family life as static. "Treating the household as a static backdrop in policy ANALYSIS 'Masculinist' economic growth is valued over well-being, anthropologist Rachael Scicluna tells DAVID HUDSON A great opportunity: To join the Office of the Permanent Secretary (Strategy & Implementation) within the Office of the Prime Minister and build a career in Project Management in a dynamic highly professional working environment. Selected candidates will gain an attractive salary package and career development commensurate with their qualifications. The Office of the Prime Minister is receiving applications for the post of; Senior Manager (Projects) Candidates that have not yet obtained the specified requisites will still be considered subject that evidence is submitted that they would qualify by the 19 th August 2019 at noon (CET). Application can be submitted through Online Government Recruitment Portal on http://recruitment.gov.mt by not later than noon (CET) of Monday 19 th August 2019. Further information can be obtained by visiting the following website www.opm.gov.mt or by sending an email to human-resources.opm@gov.mt Thinking of economic growth as a 'man' Anthropologist Rachael Scicluna, who is an advisor on social housing, argues that social justice should not be about self-realisation, but simply the norm of participatory equality