Midsea Books have just published a major work by Professor Henry Frendo, entitled Maltese Overseas Settlements (473 pages, illustrated). The volume has a foreword by the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Evarist Bartolo, entitled 'Maltese and Gozitans in the World'. 

Apart from looking critically at the migrant phenomenon itself, with all its repercussions on mentality, lifestyles, communication, retention, loss and creativity, Prof. Frendo focuses on particular areas and aspects, including research data and networking. He also uses participant observation having visited or actually lived in some of the countries discussed, from the US and Britain to Egypt and Australia. Area chapters include Louisiana, especially New Orleans (where he was a Fulbright scholar), northern Africa, including Egypt, where he lived as a UNHCR rep, Tunisia, where he lectured, Greece, especially the Ionian Islands, Turkey, especially Smyrna (Izmir) and Constantinople (Istanbul). There are also discussions on the Maltese in Gibraltar, in South Africa and in Japan.

On the Australian connection, parts of which are in Maltese, there are chapters on religion and ethnic identity, journalism, sports, music, song, broadcasting, and links to Malta itself as a onetime homeland. The book wonders what future a 'Maltese' culture has in Australia, where however aspects of it are still alive and well in multicultural and global contexts. 

Diaspora: Maltese Overseas Settlement by Professor Henry Frendo, forms part of the Maltese Social Studies series and is available from leading bookshops or online from www.midseabooks.com.