‘Ethnic extinction’ is a far-fetched exaggeration. Here’s why.

“The Maltese have never been anywhere close to a pure race,” says sociologist Godfrey Baldacchino. “Just look at our myriad surnames and you get the idea.”

Yet in recent weeks, both the finance minister and the archbishop have warned of nothing less than the “extinction of the Maltese”. The alarm bells may sound dramatic, but to scientists and sociologists, they ring hollow.

Joseph Borg, a geneticist, thinks the very idea of “ethnic extinction” is based on a misunderstanding. “The ‘Maltese’ have always been dynamic,” he explains. Borg says the Maltese have been shaped by Sicily, Italy, North Africa, the Mediterranean. It’s a history of mixing, not of purity.

So why are national leaders invoking doomsday language about a vanishing people? And what does it really mean to be Maltese in the 21st century?

Why ‘low fertility’ isn’t the end

The “ethnic extinction” warnings have been used to frame the low fertility problem, which Borg agrees is a real concern.

“But ethnic extinction is an exaggeration for two reasons: identities evolve rather than vanish, and population size and composition in Malta are now strongly shaped by migration, policy and economics, not just births to Maltese nationals.”

Borg also points out that low fertility does not really erase identity either. Identity is reproduced culturally and it adapts with newcomers. “I think we are witnessing evolution in real time of our identity.”

Baldacchino agrees that the ‘Maltese race’ will not go extinct but rather continue to morph and evolve, absorbing immigrants who then contribute to transform languages, practices and customs. “Could this mean, say, that the Maltese language will not be as frequently spoken? Yes, it could. What actually happens also depends on how much we practice, and how badly we wish to ‘protect’, the language.”

Regardless, ethnic ‘mixing’ would probably be beneficial for the Maltese, at least from a public-health genetics perspective.

“Malta isn’t a genetic monoculture,” Borg said. “The modern gene pool already reflects centuries of admixture but continued mobility, migration, out-marriage and fair integration are perfectly consistent with both good health outcomes and Maltese identity.”

The politics of panic

So why is the finance minister and archbishop suddenly panicking about low fertility? Baldacchino suggests that it comes down to immigration. “We have a love-hate relationship with the issue: we recognise how much we depend on migrant workers to tend to our aging parents, drive us to the airport or deliver our sushi. But we are also fully conscious of how the deluge of the same foreign workers is threatening the country’s infrastructure, adding to an already heavy population density,” he says.

As a result, political and ecclesiastical leaders feel that they must speak about immigration but never against it. “The soft target, rather, is ‘Maltese’ women (and men), who are not having enough babies.”

Baldacchino says it is always convenient for those in power to peddle a nationalist discourse

“Shock and awe narratives—such as proclaiming the end of the Maltese race—are especially catchy, resonating with the dogmatic preaching’s from the pulpit during Sunday Mass.”

But when asked whether this represents a shift towards nationalism, Baldacchino dismisses the idea outright. “The Maltese have no idea of nationhood.”

In a 2002 paper, Baldacchino described Malta as a ‘nationless state’ with no collective state of mind among its people. Over 20 years later, Baldacchino still believes this to be the case.

“Malta as a nation state remains a rhetorical aspiration and a mass delusion. The most powerful social movement in contemporary Malta is the Labour Party: the ‘one nation’ identity being assiduously cultivated is that of a single hegemonic political party with a token and weak opposition.”

For scientists like Borg, the numbers point to a demographic challenge, not an existential crisis. For sociologists like Baldacchino, the “extinction” talk reflects politics and anxiety about immigration more than genetics or culture.

Both agree on one point: Malta’s identity has never been fixed, and it won’t disappear now.