ABSTRACT
Whilst the migration crisis in the Mediterranean accentuates long-standing and latent geopolitics in the European Union (EU), comparative research in Malta and Cyprus problematized democratic citizenship outcomes of adult education for immigrants in postcolonial contexts. Drawing on the two countries’ commonalities as micro member-states of the EU and as former colonies of the British Empire, this chapter presents a cross-case study which analyzed adult language programs as mediators of democratic citizenship. Qualitative data from Malta and Cyprus—retrieved from semi-structured interviews with adult migrant learners and their educators—shed light on evidence of dialogue instilled by curiosity and empathy towards ‘the Other.’ Such evidence opposes populist manifestations in the broader public spheres of the two countries. Spontaneous virtual social learning networks emerged as participatory attempts at integration and democratic citizenship, which grew organically. Exposure to a plurality of worldviews and perspectives of other migrants suggested the development of tolerance and differentiated thinking. However, research participants fell short of critically linking the postcolonial legacies of Malta and Cyprus to their ventures with ‘Otherness;’ initial epistemological curiosity failed to develop into praxial initiatives that decolonize. The chapter’s discussion makes a case for greater investment in adult education professionals and related institutions.
