First Advisor

Jeremy Spoon

Date of Award

6-16-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Anthropology and University Honors

Department

Anthropology

Language

English

Subjects

Place (Philosophy) -- Social aspects -- Malta -- Gozo Island, Hazard mitigation -- Malta -- Gozo Island, Risk assessment -- Malta -- Gozo Island, Gozo Island (Malta) -- Social life and customs

DOI

10.15760/honors.1071

Abstract

This paper utilizes fieldwork on the island of Gozo, Malta as a case study in understanding place-based environmental relationships. I employ a mixed methodology ethnographic approach to explore the disconnect between local narratives of hazard risk and those of larger institutional actors including the Maltese government, the EU, and the World Risk Index. This study reveals themes of: 1) language shaping climate discourse; 2) place-based oral histories and lore as impacting how risk is perceived; 3) tension between tradition and modernity in the realm of risk reduction; and 4) conflicting climate narratives characterizing the nature of preventative action. I argue that the acknowledgment of Gozitan localized knowledge in regard to climate and disaster--as opposed to conventionally recognized, technocratic knowledge--has the potential to reduce community vulnerability to hazards that prefigure calamity.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/35690

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