Malta's struggle for independence developed as a consequence and as part of the struggle of the working class for its political liberation, Mark Camilleri said during the launch of his new book A Materialist Revision of Maltese History: 1919-1979 at the National Library, Valletta. Camilleri argued that political developments which led to Malta's 1964 Independence were only made possible through a persistent and sustained politicisation of the working classes. Independence, he maintains, was not an end in itself but the culmination of the self-consciousness of the workers as a social and political class.
Rather than a mere developement of constitutional history, in his new book Camilleri endeavours to make the point that a true political liberation was under way in those crucial years. His 'materialist' perspective, that is, his reading of local history from the point of view of the man in the street, undertakes to explain how a new consciousness by workers who formerly were powerless claimed a share, and an important one at that, in the decision-making processes and directions of the country. Starting in 1919, this led to Independence, gained a Republican status, and reached its climax on Freedom Day in 1979.
This is the second volume of Camilleri's revisionist series, published by SKS, with which he intends to provide a materialist interpretation of Maltese history. His first volume, published in 2016, covered the years 870–1919. This volume picks up the story from 1919 and proceeds until 1979. Two further volumes are promised by Camilleri, one dealing with the latest part of local history, that is, from 1979 till today, and another one, perhaps the most ambitious, comprising the period from pre-history up till 870.
from The Malta Independent https://ift.tt/2NdV2MK
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