Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/530451
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 21 JUNE 2015 This Week 43 The deep implications of British rule EDITED by John Chircop, Colonial Encounters brings together international and Maltese scholars, offer- ing a line-up of innovative contributions to some of the most current – and demanding – social, eco- nomic, and cultural de- bates on colonialism and colonial rule. The 17 chapters com- prising the book take as their focus the multiple Maltese experiences of British rule from the 19th century to postco- lonial times, employing a diversified range of research methods and sources to investigate key research themes in the growing literature on colonial studies. Most adopt a criti- cal approach to, and at times propose a chal- lenging reassessment of Malta's historiography of the period. The out- come is a fresh critical-historical outlook that articulates ambiva- lent, intriguingly contrasting, and often multi-faceted 'local' experi- ences of British colonialism, the decolonisation process and their postcolonial implications. Colonial Encounters is in- formed by a growing corpus of theoretical literature in line with the cutting-edge re- search taking place in colonial-histor- ical studies and further afield. The volume's contribu- tions, together with the analytical in- troduction, present focused and stimu- lating approaches to some of the complex dimensions of the colonial encounter in the Maltese con- text, with specific reference to various Maltese social groups – both within Malta and, as migrants on the move in the re- gion, throughout the British empire. Most of the contri- butions endeavour to approach colonial his- tory against the grain – moving away from conventional, empiri- cally-based historical narratives towards the more theoretically elaborate in- terpretations of 19th century co- lonial rule and their postcolonial inferences. Colonial experience is not perceived here only as ex- perienced by elite social group- ings (with 'native' collaborators and the nationalist opposition in particular) but – and more importantly – through a histo- riographical perspective, one pri- marily concerned with hitherto neglected social groups, such as the herdsmen and fishing folk, that emerge here as subjects of their own history, ones endowed with an own agency within the colonial context. In these terms, Colonial En- counters stands out as a coming together of thought-provoking stances on current social, eco- nomic, cultural and political the- matics. The debates generated will be useful for a clearer un- derstanding of the broader am- bit of British colonial-historical and postcolonial studies, taking on issues that, apart from their political aspect, have often been partially, sometimes completely, ignored by mainstream historical narratives. Some of the contexts addressed here include received construc- tions of 'Maltese national iden- tity', racism in specific colonial and nationalist spheres, collabo- ration and multi-level resistance, the structures and operations of the Colonial State, as well as the more directly tangible issues of employment, migration, public health and medicine, language and cultural hegemony, econom- ic dependence and the colonial impact on the natural environ- ment. Colonial Encounters is published by Horizons by John Chircop, Colonial Encounters brings together international and Maltese scholars, offer- ing a line-up of innovative contributions to some of the most current – and demanding – social, eco- nomic, and cultural de- bates on colonialism and The 17 chapters com- prising the book take as Maltese experiences of come is a fresh critical-historical decolonisation process and the cutting-edge re- search taking place in colonial-histor- ical studies and further afield. The volume's contribu- tions, together with the analytical in- troduction, present focused and stimu- lating approaches to some of the complex dimensions of the colonial encounter in the Maltese con- text, with specific reference to various Maltese social groups – both within Malta and, as migrants on the move in the re- gion, throughout the British empire. Most of the contri- butions endeavour to approach colonial his- tory against the grain – moving away from conventional, empiri- cally-based historical narratives towards the Sins of the past fuel family intrigue FOLLOWING the success of his novel Il-Ġurament tal-Ħatra published in 2013, author Law- rence Gatt has just returned to the bookshelves with his latest novel Id-Dnub ma Jorqodx (pub- lished by Merlin Publishers). This novel will make for ideal summer reading for all those who enjoy family intrigue, revelations amid comebacks from the past and heartache. In Id-Dnub ma Jorqodx, we meet businessman Louis Micallef and his family. Mi- callef has a serious car accident that leaves him in intensive care in a coma. His distraught fam- ily – his wife and four children – suddenly find themselves in a web of difficulties and uncharted territories. A rich cast of characters, both faces present in the family's life and others from the distant past, destabilises the family's life at this delicate moment, with temp- tations and distractions. Mean- while, there is the pressing mat- ter of who will steer the family business in the father's absence. Lawrence Gatt's new novel takes the readers on a journey from Malta to Italy, Dubrovnik to Medjugorje, to Dubai, Cape Town in South Africa and Aus- tralia, as we follow a family des- perately trying to find its way in their new circumstances. Because past sins, of course, al- ways come back to haunt. Gatt has been writing for many years, and in the recent past has had renewed popularity with his previous novel Il-Ġurament tal- Ħatra. Id-Dnub ma Jorqodx is avail- able from all bookshops, or online directly from www.merlinpublishers.com @reportermalta reporterontvm 'Reporter' will be aired on TVM 2 tomorrow Monday at 8.40pm with a repeat on TVM at 9.45pm REPORTER discusses Valletta