Ambivalent Europeans examines the implications of living on the fringes of Europe. In Malta, public debate is dominated by the question of Europe, both at a policy level – whether or not to join the EU – and at the level of national identity – whether or not the Maltese are ‘European’. Jon Mitchell identifies a profound ambivalence towards Europe, and also more broadly to the key processes of ‘modernisation’. He traces this tendency through a number of key areas of social life – gender, the family, community, politics, religion and ritual.