Karsten Xuereb was awarded a Ph.D cum laude in cultural policy from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili of Tarragona, Catalonia, in Spain.

Dr Xuereb was tutored by Prof. Enric Olivé Serret, holder of a Unesco Chair on intercultural dialogue in the Mediterranean, and assessed by acclaimed Mediterraneanist Professor Franco Cassano of the University of Bari.

Research was carried out on the influence of European cultural institutes on cultural relations in the south Mediterranean and a set of recommendations for policies promoting intercultural dialogue and territorial diplomacy was proposed.

In-depth interviews were held with key cultural operators and activists in Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia in the framework of the Arab Spring. The thesis also included Malta’s own experience in this field.

It is accessible online at www.tdx.cat/handle/10803/97209#.UPv5ght964g.gmail.