Understanding Diasporas: A Maltese Case Study

When: Thursday 30 August 2007
Time: 5:00-6:00pm
Where: Council Chambers, Level 6, Building K, Victoria University, Footscray Park
 Understanding Diasporas: A Maltese Case Study Flyer (40KB)

RSVP: Monday 27 August 2007
Sue Butterworth
Phone: 9919 5478
Fax: 9919 5479
Email: sue.butterworth@vu.edu.au

Professor Frendo will provide an overview of the nature and characteristics of diasporas, drawing on a wide body of theoretical work. He will explore the key issues and dynamics that arise for diasporas based on a case study of the Maltese experience.

Biography
Henry Frendo is a Professor of History at the University of Malta with a PhD from Oxford University. Between 1978 and 1985 he served with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. From 1985 to 1988 he taught European Politics, Commonwealth History, and Ethnic and Multicultural Studies, mainly at Latrobe University. In 1987 he became Founder-President of the Melbourne based Maltese Historical Association of Australia. Between 1994 and 1999 Professor Frendo led Malta's delegation to the Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Strasbourg, where he also served as chairman of CLRAE's Euro-Med Group (1996-1999) and the Albania monitors (1998-1999). He acted as rapporteur on North-South relations (1996) and on devolution in the UK (1998). A founder-member in The Hague of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum, in Malta he served as mayor of his hometown, Attard, chaired the Local Councils Association, and the College of Mayors. In 2001 Professor Frendo was appointed a Full Member of the Council of Europe's Committee of Independent Experts on Local and Regional Government, in Strasbourg; and vice-president of the Refugee Appeals Board, with offices in Fort St Elmo, Valletta. He teaches courses on migration and cultural identity, and is reviews editor of the Journal of Mediterranean Studies, and editor of the history journal/digest, Storja.