Rethinking Irish History

This text provides a critical interpretation of the construction of Irish national identity in the longer perspective of history. Drawing on recent sociological theory, the authors contend that national identity was invented... Les mer

Rethinking Irish History

This text provides a critical interpretation of the construction of Irish national identity in the longer perspective of history. Drawing on recent sociological theory, the authors contend that national identity was invented and codified by a nationalist intelligentsia in the late 19th century. The trajectory of this national identity is traced as a process of crisis and contradiction. One of the central arguments is that negative implications of Irish national identity have never been fully explored by social science.

Acknowledgements Preface to the Paperback Introduction: National Identity and Cultural Contradiction in Twentieth-century Ireland Nationalism and the Construction of Identity Origins and Context of Irish National Identities Nationalist Mobilisation and the Cultural Construction of the Irish Nation The Alignment of Nationalist Politics: Self-Determination as Goal and Achievement The Institutionalisation of National Identity in the Irish Free State Social Change and the Transformation of National Identity Conclusion: Nationalism in Contemporary Ireland Notes Bibliography Index

GERARD DELANTY is Professor of Sociology at the University of Liverpool. He is co-author of Nationalism in the Modern World. PATRICK O'MAHONEY is Lecturer in Sociology at University College Cork, Ireland. He is co-author of Nationalism in the Modern World. Lukk