1. Locating the ‘Arab Spring’ Lived Experiences of Contemporary Politics among Arabs in Malta Nathalie Grima M.A. in Sociology Faculty of Arts University of Malta

2. Aims of the research Arab migrants in Malta living the ‘Arab Spring’ revolutionary wave ‘far away from home’ If and how they felt part of a collective Arab political and social movement for change Their involvement in social networks and locally organised solidarity movements in bringing the Arab diaspora ‘closer to home’ 02 December 20132

3. Sociological aspects Political transnationalism of migrants ‘political participation not only in the country of emigration but also of immigration’ (Faist 2010: 11) Relevance of national borders and loyalties ‘social life takes place across borders, even as the political and cultural salience of nation- state boundaries remains strong’ (Levitt and Jaworsky 2007: 129) 02 December 20133

4. Visible changes Their strong motivation to act was in sharp contrast to having lived through decades of fear to express themselves freely on political matters. Rather than being a one-off event, the Arab revolution triggered a political process on a long-term basis among the informants. 02 December 20134

5. Research methods Interviews: – April 2012 till January 2013 Participant Observation: – April 2012 till March 2013 Facebook 02 December 20135

6. New organisations Libyan Association in Malta Syrian Maltese Solidarity Movement Arab Maltese Community 02 December 20136

7. Embassies as visible sites of activism 02 December 20137

8. Politicised space 02 December 20138

9. Transnational simultaneous protests 02 December 20139

10. Humanitarian aid 02 December 201310

11. Women affirm their place Picture taken by Jason Borg and published on The Times of Malta online 02 December 201311

12. Establishment of the Arab Maltese Community with the support of the General Workers’ Union 02 December 201312

13. Political involvement during the Maltese general election campaign 02 December 201313

14. Intense patriotism Picture taken by Chris Sant Fournier and published on The Times of Malta onine 02 December 201314

15. Ongoing political activism Picture published on maltatoday online on 22 November 2013 02 December 201315

16. Local concerns 02 December 201316

17. Thankyou Nathalie Grima ngrima18@gmail.com 02 December 201317