Document Type

Honors Project

Publication Date

6-10-2026

Abstract

In this project I investigate the understudied history of Malta and the Maltese language, focusing on the period of the Second World War. Going through newspaper archives and survivors’ accounts, I untangle the complex cultural shifts occurring in the British Colony of Malta, specifically with language. I argue that it was the intense bombing campaign of Fascist Italy––and later Nazi Germany––that led to the Maltese people to finally reject the Italian language and embrace their indigenous language along with British influences. This paper goes into the complex political and colonial history, looking at the British led breakdown of the diglossic system that placed Italian at the top and Maltese at the bottom. Unlike historians of the past, I ensure that the Maltese language is at the center of the conversation and show how people fought to implement it in different elements of society.

Level of Honors

cum laude

Department

History

Advisor

Brigid Vance

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