Generation and place of residence in the symbolic and lived identity of Maltese in Sydney, Australia

Maltese symbolic and lived identities are examined to explore the changes t hat occur in cultural identity between generations and place of residence w ithin metropolitan Sydney. The results are employed to problematise Sandber g's straight-line theory, that is, that ethnic identity will decline with e ach successive generation. Our results, exploring ethnic identity in both i ts symbolic and lived-experience forms, confirm arguments that global citie s are not homogeneous territories, as implied by Sandberg, but rather sites of cultural difference. The results suggest that, regardless of place of r esidence or generation, the symbolic Maltese identities remain similar, com bating the old, naive assimilationist assumption that all immigrants would quickly abandon their ethnic identity, and favouring arguments supporting h ybrid identities. Similarly, results for Maltese identity as lived experien ce suggest that their Maltese identity is less important only for those sec ond-generation Maltese living in census collection districts with less than 10 per cent of the population born in Malta.