My thesis explores language and identity through the lens of Maltese colonization, divided into two parts. First, I created a bilingual book, in English and Maltese, that explores post-colonial Maltese identity. The book is divided into three sections: an introduction, Defining Identity, and a conclusion. The introduction provides historical context, the Defining Identity section addresses a series of responses from personal interviews I conducted with Maltese people, inquiring about their individual perspectives regarding their cultural identity, and the conclusion re-contextualizes the interviews, highlighting the generational shifts in identity as Malta repositioned from an occupied nation to a free one. British colonization significantly impacted our identity and the way we view ourselves, as well as our culture.
Curious to explore Malta’s identity pre-colonization, I created a Maltese display typeface for the second portion of the project. The typeface, Melite, is inspired by pre-colonial Maltese culture and the megalithic structures Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, and Ġgantija. Featuring both English and Maltese glyphs, it was applied to the bilingual book from the first phase of the project. Melite features blocky, geometric elements, referencing the rigid limestone blocks commonly found in Maltese temple architecture. From the interview responses, I found that while the sense of identity varies among individuals, the most common identifying factor is the language, which is what links the two portions of this project.