Mark Anthony Falzon

Professor Mark Anthony Falzon is a social anthropologist who current is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Malta and the Head of the Sociology Department, Faculty of Arts. He studied at the University of Malta, and the University of Coloardo before going on to receive a doctorate in Social Anthropology from Cambridge University in 2002. He was the recipient of numerous awards during this time, including a Wenner-Gren major award for fieldwork, and Overseas Studentship in Social Anthropology award and was the recipient of the Emrys Peters Essay Prize for a piece that centred around Malta Shipyards. After receiving a doctorate from Cambridge University in 2002 (where he is a Life Member of Clare Hall), Professor Falzon has travelled to numerous communities around the world, studying ethnicity, migration, identity and diaspora. With a particular interest in Southern Asia, Professor Falzon has conducted fieldwork in Mumbai, Lampedusa and here in Malta, especially soundscapes which regards the acoustic environment that human beings can perceive. Some of his lectures include views of refugees and immigrants, political spaces in Malta and bird hunting. Professor Falzon was a member of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) which strives for peaceful relations between communities. He has also worked as a consultant for IOM (the International Organization for Migration at Geneva.) Professor Falzon’s publications include Cosmopolitan Connections: The Sindhi diaspora 1860-2000, published in 2005 by Oxford University Press and Multi-sited Ethnography, published by Ashgate in 2009. He has written for numerous journals, including Space and Culture, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, and Il Naturalista Siciliano. A weekly columnist for the Sunday Times, Professor Falzon writes not only about the present issues that Malta is invested in, but of the culture, history and psyche of the Maltese people. His pieces jump from serious and scholarly to humorous and witty. Whether it be his take on the latest art installations or his ability to read between the lines of politics, Professor Falzon is a sharp voice in understanding Maltese identity.