From Villains to Heroes: Reconciling Vassalli and Dimech with the General Public

Henry-Franz Gauci graduated B.A. (Hons) in History from the University of Malta in 2006 with a dissertation on ‘A demographic study of Haz-Zebbug 1550-1650 and PGCE in History in 2007. Graduated Master in Maltese Studies in 2015. He taught History and European Studies at St. Augustine’s College, Pieta, St. Thomas More Boys Secondary School, Hamrun and presently at St. Ignatius College, Handaq. His research interests lie in the 19th and early 20th century in the different aspects of national identity, political and social development and dissidents from the mainstream.
He is a member of the History Teachers Association and Malta Historical Society.

Synopsis

Sponsored by the Alfred Mizzi Foundation. Mikiel Anton Vassalli and Manwel Dimech are considered by many as Maltese national heroes. Yet both died abandoned and forgotten. So how were they transformed from villains to heroes? This lecture tries to analyse the process these personalities went through to be reconciled in the Maltese collective memory. To what extent was this reconciliatory process successful? Who were the agents behind it and for what reason? What did the process involve? At the same time the study draws a comparison with other personalities that the Maltese consider as heroes and tries to analyse why some gained more popularity than others, and how this reflects on Maltese’s society forma mentis.

Speaker: Henry-Franz Gauci