The Institute of Maltese Studies at the University of Malta will on Thursday be holding the second in its series of public lectures about various aspects of the Maltese culture and identity.

Entitled Eroj tal-poplu? Kif jilħaq eroj, studju fuq Mikiel Anton Vassalli u Manwel Dimech, the lecture delivered by Henry Franz Gauci will draw on original research which the speaker carried out for his dissertation in Maltese studies.

Gauci will analyse how the world hero in the collective imagination portrays an image of exemplary personalities who enjoy popularity and popular devotion.

However, does this apply for Mikiel Anton Vassalli and Manwel Dimech? When one knows that these two personalities died a lonely death and for a long time were forgotten, how will their heroism be recognised? Will it be a natural process or an imposed one?

This study investigates the process of how Vassalli and Dimech were recognised as national heroes after a long period in limbo and delves into who was behind this process and its success.

The lecture will be held at the National Library of Malta, 36, Old Treasury Street, Valletta, on Thursday at 6.30pm.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.