Civil Society and the 2019 - 2020 Malta Protests

My latest chapter, authored with Mario Thomas Vassallo and Jean Claude Cachia, looks at "How civil society organizations brought change to the Maltese government between 2019 and 2020." This chapter appears in the book "Handbook of Civil Society and Social Movements in Small States", edited by Lino Briguglio, Michael Briguglio, Sheila Bunwaree and Claire Slatter and published by Routledge.

This chapter argues that, the strategies and coordinated actions adopted by civil society groups between October 2019 and March 2020, managed to bring political change and establish civil society groups as a pillar of the Maltese public sphere. The study is structured in three main parts. First, it looks at the concept of interest representation and the role of civil society groups in civic engagement and mass mobilisation. Then, the study contextualises the ensuing discussion within the parameters of small island states and, in particular, exposes the political landscape of Malta as the smallest member state in the EU. Eventually, the study concentrates on the changes brought about by civil society in Malta between 2019 and 2020.

For more information on this chapter, click here.

For further information on the book, click here.