https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2023-11-09/blogs-opinions/Studying-social-impacts-6736256267
Thursday, November 09, 2023
Studying Social Impacts - Michael Briguglio
The new upcoming Master of Arts in Social Impact Assessment, offered by the Sociology Department, Faculty of Arts, University of Malta, is discussed in this short article in The Malta Independent:
Friday, November 03, 2023
Thursday, October 26, 2023
Critical Ignoring and Fact-Checking - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I discuss how we can tackle social phenomena such as fake news and self-appointed expertise.
Link:
Monday, October 02, 2023
Rethinking the Blue Economy - Michael Briguglio
In this article in The Malta Independent I refer to a new COST research action related to the Blue Economy.
Link:
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| Image: The Malta Independent |
Monday, September 25, 2023
Politicians cannot expect ‘trust’, if they ignore people’s concerns
In yesterday's Malta Today, I was interviewed by Raphael Vassallo about Malta's current political situation.
Link:
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| Photo: James Bianchi / MediaToday |
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
University of Malta to introduce new degree in Social Impact Assessments
Can these studies become another box to tick without meaningful consequences for communities elbowed out by major projects? James Debono speaks to course coordinator Michael Briguglio
Link:
Monday, September 11, 2023
Local councils have lost most of their already limited powers
In this interview with the Malta Independent on Sunday I discuss the political and social ramifications of current local council policy in Malta.
Link:
Thursday, September 07, 2023
Op-ed: Cost of Living and the Budget - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I discuss current challenges related to Malta's cost of living and the upcoming national budget.
Link:
Monday, September 04, 2023
Il-każ Sofia: kif wasalna s’hawn?
“Isabelle Bonnici wriet kemm hu importanti li ma teskludi lil ħadd, u bniet bħal network soċjali fuq skala nazzjonali ta’ nies li jappoġġjaw il-kawża” - Aqra iktar f'dan l-artiklu fil-gażżetta Illum:
https://www.illum.com.mt/ahbarijiet/politika/68371/ilka_sofia_kif_wasalna_shawn_
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| Ritratt: Illum |
Friday, August 25, 2023
Op-ed: Local Councils, PL, PN and ADPD - Michael Briguglio
My latest article in The Malta Independent discusses local councils and the prospects of Malta's political parties in the upcoming local elections.
Link:
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| Image: The Malta Independent |
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Beyond Labels: Rethinking Identity Politics, Equity, and Democracy - Michael Briguglio interviewed by Timothy Alden
In the struggle for increased social and economic rights, it is easy to make the mistake of failing to grasp nuances and different perspectives. Dr Michael Briguglio challenges some of the preconceived notions which persist in modern political discourse, particularly lumping together movements and groups which have important distinctions. In this interview on Think, Briguglio makes the case for liberal democracy and answers key questions on issues of representation and identity.
Read the interview from this link: https://thinkmagazine.mt/beyond-labels-rethinking-identity-politics-equity-and-democracy/
Friday, July 21, 2023
Op-Ed: Jean Paul Sofia galvanised a nation - Michael Briguglio
In yesterday's Malta Independent I give a sociological interpretation of the #JusticeForJeanPaulSofia campaign.
Link:
Friday, July 07, 2023
Op-Ed: Malta's Abortion Reform - Michael Briguglio
In this article I discuss the political and social movement dimension of the legislative change in abortion law in Malta.
Link:
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2023-07-06/blogs-opinions/Malta-s-abortion-reform-6736253143
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| Image: The Malta Independent |
Monday, June 26, 2023
A new team and vision of the international social science journal
Since its inception in 1949 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Social Science Journal (ISSJ) has sought to strengthen the ties between social science communities globally. Aiming to reach the widest possible audience for over 70 years, the ISSJ uses inter-disciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to uncover new knowledge, offering an open door for theoretical and applied research. In January 2023, an editorial team composed of scholars from various regions and with backgrounds in different areas of the social sciences was assembled to cooperatively strive for excellence in publishing outstanding works and advance our scholarly and inter-disciplinary knowledge. Baris Cayli Messina, appointed Editor-in-Chief, was accompanied by eight other leading editors: Julie Aitken Schermer, Michael Briguglio, Rowan Gard, Andrea Gatto, Liang Ma, Umer Shahzad, Lexi Webster and Jianzhi Zhao, all established academics in their respective fields who have joined forces to preserve and enhance the International Social Sciences Journal's authoritative stature.
Read the full editorial here:
Reference: Briguglio, M., Cayli Messina, B., Gard, R., Gatto, A., Schermer, J.A., Shahzad, U., Webster, L. and Zhao, J. (2023), A new team and vision of the international social science journal. Int Soc Sci., 73: 255-259. https://doi.org/10.1111/issj.12443
Thursday, June 22, 2023
Op-ed: The Bormla Elderly Persons' Controversy - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent, I discuss the controversy surrounding the relocation of residents of the Cospicua home for the elderly.
Link:
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| Image; The Malta Independent |
Monday, June 19, 2023
#Ħsibijiet 98 - Protezzjoni lil min jitfa' t-tajn
Hekk Sew!
Kont taf li Membru tal-Parlament jista' jallega u saħansitra jivvinta fuqek, u jirrovinalek ħajtek, u li int, sadanittant ma tistax twieġeb jew tieħu azzjoni biex tiddefendi r-reputazzjoni tiegħek?Wieħed jifhem li dwar xi materji sensittivi, il-Membri tal-Parlament għandhom ikollhom xi forma ta' protezzjoni meta jitkellmu. Iżda dan id-dritt m'għandux jiġi abbużat. L-Ispeaker tal-Kamra Anġlu Farrugia ilu 8 snin jitkellem dwar dan il-lok ta' abbuż ta' poter, u ilu 8 snin jiġi injorat mill-parlament.
Għandu raġun, u jistħoqqlu l-appoġġ minn dawk kollha ta' rieda tajba għal riforma ġusta f'dan il-qasam.
Aqra iktar hawnhekk: https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2023-06-18/newspaper-leader/TMIS-Editorial-The-right-to-redress-6736252747
Friday, June 16, 2023
#Ħsibijiet 97 - Il-kontroversja Manche'
Naqbel li l-Gvern għandu jagħmel riformi legali sabiex is-satira ma tiġix kriminaliżżata. Is-satira hija sinjal ta' demokrazija vibranti. Madankollu mhux faċli li tiġi artikolata riforma konsistenti f'dan il-qasam. Pajjiżna għandu jara li l-ebda identita', ideoloġija jew diskors għandu jiġi privileġġjat fuq oħrajn. Għandna nevitaw id-double standards.
Thursday, June 01, 2023
Op-ed: The Xebbajtuna Protest - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I give a sociological interpretation to last Saturday's national environmental protest.
Link:
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2023-06-01/blogs-opinions/The-Xebbajtuna-Protest-6736252316
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| Photo: The Malta Independent |
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
#Ħsibijiet 96: Solidarjeta' ma' l-anzjani u l-ħaddiema fid-dar tal-Kottonera
Fuq xi gażżetti qed naqraw dwar anjanzi imbikkmin minħabba li dalwaqt ser jiġu relokati mid-dar li jgħixu fiha għal xi dar oħra ta' l-anzjani. Saru jafu dwar dan ħabta u sabta l-ġimgħa l-oħra.
Sfortunatament din mhux l-ewwel darba li anzjani ġew trattati bħala ċittadini tat-tieni klassi.
Minflok ma nirringrazzjaw lill-anzjani tas-servizz li taw u li għadhom jagħtu lis-soċjeta' Maltija, nieħdu deċiżżjonijiet li milli jidher huma nieqsa mill-konsultazzjoni. Dan hu każ ieħor ta' policymaking li jeħtieg social impact assessment, u mhux deċiżżjonijiet għaġġelin minn fuq għal isfel.
Jeħtieġ li l-gruppi ta' l-anzjani u gruppi oħrajn fis-soċjeta' ċivili jiffirmuaw moviment soċjali għad-drittijiet ta' l-anjanzi. L-anzjani huma ċittadini tal-llum, bħal kull ċittadin ieħor.
Sunday, May 21, 2023
Ħsibijiet 95: Is-survey tal-Malta Today
Survey Malta Today: Xi interpretazzjonijiet
Uħud mill-interpretazzjonijiet li jistgħu jingħataw lis-survey jinkludu dawn, u ma jeskludux neċessarjament lil xulxin:
- Il-Labour jaf jaddatta għall-isfidi
- Il-Labour qed jistenna kriżi interna, u l-kbir għadu ġej
- Il-PN ser jasal
- Il-PN ma tgħallem xejn minn retorika li titfa n-nies il-ħabs
- Hemm lok għat-tielet partit (iżda din toħloq mistoqsijiet oħra, per eżempju, x'għamla?)
- Qed tikber l-indifferenza politika
- Kull leġislatura politika ikollha l-kontroversji tagħha, imbagħad jiddeċiedi l-poplu.
- It-trends politiċi huma pjuttost ċari
- Hemm differenza bejn il-'headlines' fil-media, u l-aspirazzjonijiet tal-maġġoranzi siekta.
- L-elezzjonijiet Ewropej u Lokali fl-2024 ituna stampa iktar ċara
- Jista' jkun hemm fatturi oħra esterni u interni li jaffettwaw lill-Gvern u l-Oppożizzjoni
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Op-ed: Precarious workers without a voice - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I discuss an upcoming EU vote on platform work. Link:
Tuesday, May 09, 2023
Open Access Publication about protests in Malta
The following peer-reviewed article is now available as an open-access publication, in the academic journal 'Protest', published by Brill.
Briguglio, M. (2022). Protests in a Small Island State during the Year of covid-19: The Case of Malta, Protest, 1(2), 299-328. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/
Link from where it can be downloaded: https://brill.com/view/
I am currently finalising a similar study for 2021 and collecting data for 2022 and 2023.
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This paper relies on protest event analysis (pea) to study protests held in Malta during 2020 and analyses specific features of those protests, namely issues, organisations, coalitions, venues, and types of protest. The study verifies how Malta’s status as a small state impacts protest, especially in terms of networks of activism and in the context of the covid-19 pandemic.
Findings show the environment as the most prominent issue, followed by the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia and human rights, respectively. The most active actors were Repubblika and Occupy Justice on the Daphne Caruana Galizia issue; Movement Graffitti on the environment; and irregular migrants without organisational set-ups, who protested human rights violations. This study emphasizes the importance of considering the characteristics and opportunity structures of Malta as a small state. Such factors are not only reflected in the protest repertoire, but also in the way organisations and activists invest in social networks.
Despite certain trends regarding protest numbers, there was no correlation between covid-19 and the number of protests. Furthermore, the main issues characterising protests were similar to those of previous years.
Thursday, May 04, 2023
Op-ed: Inflation and the economic treadmill - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I discuss the impacts of inflation, and its relation to the economic treadmill.
Link:
Thursday, April 20, 2023
Op-ed: Malta’s democracy indicators and rankings - Michael Briguglio
How does Malta's political system rank globally?
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In today's Malta Independent I compare Malta's democracy indicators and rankings as proposed by Freedom House, The Economist Intelligence Unit, and Varieties of Democracy Institute.
Link:
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Thursday, April 06, 2023
Op-ed: A country of developers? Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I engage with class and demographic dynamics of Malta's property market, in relation to a recent press release by the Malta Developers Association.
Link:
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2023-04-06/blogs-opinions/A-country-of-developers-6736250910
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| Picture: The Malta Independent |
Thursday, March 23, 2023
Op-ed: PL / PN Crossroads - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I discuss challenges and opportunities faced by PL and PN in Malta's current political situation:
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2023-03-23/blogs-opinions/PL-PN-crossroads-6736250585
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| Photo: The Malta Independent |
Ħsibijiet (94): Il-politika tar-rispett
Il-politika tar-rispett m'għandha l-ebda kulur u kulħadd jista jħaddanha.
Iżda sfortunatement kultant narmu r-rispett barra mit-tieqa biex nirbħu punti politiċi jew likes fuq il-media soċjali.
Ir-rispett m'ghandux ikun ibbażat fuq jekk il-persuna konċernata għandhiex l-istess affiljazzjoni jew veduti tiegħek. Dak huwa rispett a' la carte u opportunist.
Nistgħu inħaddnu l-politika tar-rispett billi ma nipparteċipawx fl-imġieba grotteska li tipprova tkisser in-nies.
Sunday, March 12, 2023
#Ħsibijiet (93) Is-survey politiku tal-llum
Il-survey politiku tal-Malta Today li ġie ppublikat dalgħodu juri li l-proġett Laburista, li ilu rebbieħ mill-2009, qala daqqa' kemmxejn sinjifikanti fil-popolarita', minkejja li għadu minn fuq. Tajjeb naraw jekk il-PL huwiex kapaċi joħloq opportunita' f'din il-kriżi, bħal m'għamel kemm il-darba fis-snin riċenti waqt kontroversji oħra.
Tajjeb naraw ukoll jekk il-Partit Nazzjonalista, frisk minn protesta nazzjonali nhar il-Ħadd li għadda, huwex ser ikun kapaċi joħloq mewġa politika, wara snin ta' kriżi interna u t-tneħħija inġusta u żlejali ta' Adrian Delia minn Kap fl-2020, f'nofs leġislatura.
Ħames snin wara li fetaħ il-kawża ta' l-isptarijiet, u issa li ġie vindikat mill-Qorti, nistgħu nikkonfermaw kemm kellu raġun Adrian Delia, minkejja li kemm hu, kif ukoll dawk li appoġġjawh kienu sfaw vittmi ta' attakki politiċi xejn sbieħ minn direzzjonijiet differenti. Forsi llum hemm ħjiel ta' indiema.
Id-demokrazija ta' pajjiżna hi waħda dinamika, u dan jgħodd ukoll għal politika tal-movimenti soċjali u s-soċjeta' ċivili. Iżda, il-loġika tan-numri turina b'mod ċar li, ngħidu x'ngħidu, l-uniku forza li tista' tneħħi l-Partit Laburista mill-Gvern huwa l-Partit Nazzjonalista, u li l-iktar rebħa sinjifikanti fis-soċjeta' Maltija hi dik ta' l-elezzjoni nazzjonali.
L-istorja politika ta' pajjiżna turina li bosta kampanji u elezzjonijiet intrebħu meta kien hemm koalizzjonijiet wiesgħin, mhux l-inqas b'involviment partiġġjan.
Biex dawn jinħolquu, tinħtieġ ħidma flimkien kemm internament, kif ukoll ma' forzi politiċi u soċjali oħra, li, sa dan it-tant, iridu jkunu lesti li jpoġġu fil-ġenb preġudizzji, antipatiji u affiljazzjonijiet sabiex tinħoloq forza rebbieħa ġdida.
Huma l-koalizzjonijiet wiesgħa li joħolqu Gvern, u mhux interessi jew affiljazzjonijiet dojoq.
Thursday, March 09, 2023
Op-ed: The Politics of the Hospital Controversy - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I discuss the politics of Malta's hospital controversy.
Link:
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| Photo: The Malta Independent |
Thursday, February 16, 2023
Op-ed: Dementia and Social Policy - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I discuss the 'Dementia in Europe Yearbook 2023' published Alzheimer Europe, and its implications on Social Policy.
Link:
Thursday, February 02, 2023
Op-ed: The New Green Logic - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent, I discuss Malta's new green logic.
Link:
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2023-02-02/blogs-opinions/The-new-green-logic-6736249334
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Thursday, January 19, 2023
Op-ed: The Ombudsman and Standards Commissioner deadlock - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent, I discuss the controversy surrounding the appointment of a Standards Commissioner in Malta.
Link:
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Monday, January 16, 2023
New Upcoming Book: Handbook of Civil Society and Social Movements in Small States
Handbook of Civil Society and Social Movements in Small States (Routledge) - Edited by Lino Briguglio, Michael Briguglio, Sheila Bunwaree, Claire Slatter, 2023
More info:
Thursday, January 05, 2023
Op-ed: Sustainable Development 2050 - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I engage with the Government of Malta's public consultation on sustainable development, and I situate it in relation to Malta's political ecology.
Link:
Wednesday, January 04, 2023
Michael Briguglio appointed Associate Editor of the International Social Science Journal
Dr Michael Briguglio has been appointed Associate Editor of the International Social Science Journal, a leading peer-reviewed academic journal published by global publishers Wiley.
The International Social Science Journal (ISSJ) bridges social science communities across disciplines and continents, focusing particularly on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work that pushes the boundaries of current approaches, both applied and theoretical.Originally founded by UNESCO in 1949, ISSJ has since grown into a forum for innovative review, reflection and discussion informed by recent and ongoing international, social science research. It provides a home for work that has implications across the disciplines and beyond the academy.
Dr Michael Briguglio is a Senior Lecturer within the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, University of Malta. He is also holds official roles within the Malta Sociological Association and Research Network 25 - Social Movements, within the European Sociological Association.
Link to ISSJ: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14682451
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