Synopses & Reviews
Over the past decade or so, Irishness has emerged as an idealized ethnicity, one with which large numbers of people around the world, and particularly in the United States, choose to identify. Seeking to explain the widespread appeal of all things Irish, the contributors to this collection show that for Americans, Irishness is rapidly becoming the white ethnicity of choice, a means of claiming an ethnic identity while maintaining the benefits of whiteness. At the same time, the essayists challenge essentialized representations of Irishness, bringing attention to the complexities of Irish history and culture that are glossed over in Irish-themed weddings and shamrock tattoos.
Examining how Irishness is performed and commodified in the contemporary transnational environment, the contributors explore topics including Van Morrisonandrsquo;s music, Frank McCourtandrsquo;s writing, the explosion of Irish-themed merchandising, the practices of heritage seekers, the movie The Crying Game, and the significance of red hair. Whether considering the implications of Garth Brooksandrsquo;s claim of Irishness and his enormous popularity in Ireland, representations of Irish masculinity in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, or Americansandrsquo; recourse to a consoling Irishness amid the racial and nationalist tensions triggered by the events of September 11, the contributors delve into complex questions of ethnicity, consumerism, and globalization. Ultimately, they call for an increased awareness of the exclusionary effects of claims of Irishness and for the cultivation of flexible, inclusive ways of affiliating with Ireland and the Irish.
Contributors. Natasha Casey, Maeve Connolly, Catherine M. Eagan, Sean Griffin, Michael Malouf, Mary McGlynn, Gerardine Meaney, Diane Negra, Lauren Onkey, Maria Pramaggiore, Stephanie Rains, Amanda Third
Review
andldquo;The essays in this collection are to Irish studies what B. B. King and the Chicago Blues are to the Delta Blues: they draw on an existing body of work, virtuosically extend it, and at the same time electrify it, creating new forms in the process. In this respect, this collection is the book that many in Irish studies have been waiting for.andrdquo;andmdash;Margot Backus, author of The Gothic Family Romance: Heterosexuality, Child Sacrifice, and the Anglo-Irish Colonial Order
Review
andldquo;Diane Negra has built a dynamic cultural studies anthology from the sophisticated research of a new generation of scholars. andlsquo;Irishness,andrsquo; still an attractive or scandalous stereotype, is here understood through reflection on nation, ethnicity, class, and genderandmdash;reflection that is in turn animated by the obtuseness of andlsquo;Irishnessandrsquo; in its newly global situation. Expressing a variety of views through vivid examples, this anthology becomes itself exemplary.andrdquo;andmdash;Dudley Andrew, Yale University
Review
andldquo;This sparkling, sophisticated, and original collection analyzes such diverse topics as the genealogical quest for Irish roots, Celtic white supremacists, and postandndash;September 11 identity politics. Provocatively, Diane Negra suggests that andlsquo;Irishnessandrsquo; has become a way for Americans to claim a safe and fashionable ethnic identity. Essential reading for Irish and American cultural studies.andrdquo;andmdash;Elizabeth Cullingford, author of Irelandandrsquo;s Others: Gender and Ethnicity in Irish Literature and Popular Culture
Synopsis
A colleciton that looks at how Irishness has become a discursive commodity within popular culture.
About the Author
“Diane Negra has built a dynamic cultural studies anthology from the sophisticated research of a new generation of scholars. ‘Irishness,’ still an attractive or scandalous stereotype, is here understood through reflection on nation, ethnicity, class, and gender—reflection that is in turn animated by the obtuseness of ‘Irishness’ in its newly global situation. Expressing a variety of views through vivid examples, this anthology becomes itself exemplary.”—Dudley Andrew, Yale University“The essays in this collection are to Irish studies what B. B. King and the Chicago Blues are to the Delta Blues: they draw on an existing body of work, virtuosically extend it, and at the same time electrify it, creating new forms in the process. In this respect, this collection is the book that many in Irish studies have been waiting for.”—Margot Backus, author of The Gothic Family Romance: Heterosexuality, Child Sacrifice, and the Anglo-Irish Colonial Order“This sparkling, sophisticated, and original collection analyzes such diverse topics as the genealogical quest for Irish roots, Celtic white supremacists, and post–September 11 identity politics. Provocatively, Diane Negra suggests that ‘Irishness’ has become a way for Americans to claim a safe and fashionable ethnic identity. Essential reading for Irish and American cultural studies.”—Elizabeth Cullingford, author of Ireland’s Others: Gender and Ethnicity in Irish Literature and Popular Culture
Table of Contents
The Irish in Us: Irishness, Performativity, and Popular Culture / Diane Negra 1
andldquo;Still andlsquo;Blackandrsquo; and andlsquo;Proudandrsquo;andrdquo;: Irish America and the Racial Politics of Hibernophilia / Catherine M. Eagan 20
The Wearing of the Green: Performing Irishness in the Fox Wartime Musical / Sean Griffin 64
andldquo;The Best Kept Secret in Retailandrdquo;: Selling Irishness in Contemporary America / Natasha Casey 84
andldquo;Papa Donandrsquo;t Preachandrdquo;: Pregnancy and Performance in Contemporary Irish Cinema / Maria Pramaggiore 110
rish Roots: Genealogy and the Performance of Irishness / Stephanie Rains 130
Ray Charles on Hyndford Street: Van Morrisonandrsquo;s Caledonian Soul / Lauren Onkey 161
Garth Brooks in Ireland, or, Play That Country Music, Whiteboys / Mary McGlynn 196
andldquo;Does the Rug Match the Carpet?andrdquo;: Race, Gender, and the Redheaded Woman / Amanda Third 220
Dead, White, and Male: Irishness in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel / Gerardine Meaney 254
andldquo;A Bit of Traveller in Everybodyandrdquo;: Traveller Identities in Irish and American Culture / Maeve Connolly 282
Feeling andEacute;ire(y): On Irish-Caribbean Popular Culture / Michael Malouf 318
Irishness, Innocence, and American Identity Politics before and after September 11 / Diane Negra 354
Contributors 373
Index 377