Ireland and Cultural Theory The Mechanics of Authenticity [Paperback]

Ireland and Cultural Theory is a unique and timely collection offering the first major assessment of how theoretical readings of 'Ireland' and Irish culture have begun to question the grounds of debate in Irish studies. Contributions engage with the concept of the 'authentic' in Irish culture through analyses of film, television and literature, emigration, and institutional critical practice. This lively and challenging volume will be of interest to lecturers and students in the field of cultural studies, Irish studies and critical theory.List of Figures Notes on the Contributors Acknowledgements Introduction; C.Graham & R.Kirkland '... maybe that's just Blarney': Irish Culture and the Persistence of Authenticity; C.Graham Decolonisation and Criticism: Towards a Theory of Irish Critical Discourse; G.Smyth 'Pestilence on their Backs, Famine in their Stomachs': The Racial Construction of Irishness and the Irish in Britain; J.MacLaughlin Gendered Irishness in Britain: Changing Constructions; B.Walter Breaking the 'Cracked Mirror': Binary Oppositions in the Culture of Contemporary Ireland; S.Richards Troubles, Terminus and The Treaty ; L.Pettitt Reading Responsibility in Castle Rackrent ; C.Connolly 'Could Anyone Write it?': Place in Tom Paulin's Poetry; E.Hughes The Body's in the Post: Contemporary Irish Poetry and the Dispersed Body; T.Herron Questioning the Frame: Hybridity, Ireland and the Institution; R.Kirkland Bibliography Index

'This book is a timely provocation to rethink our accepted notions of Irishness and Britishness in the light of recent debates in literary theory, gender research and the postcolonial controversy. A pioneering publication at the cutting edge of contemporary cultural studies' - Richard Kearney, Professor of Philosophy, University College Dublin, author of Postnationalist Ireland

CLAIRE CONNOLLY Lecturer, School of English Studies, University of Wales, CardiffTOM HERRON Lecturer in English, University of AberdeenEAMONN lC#