Signs of War and Peace: Social Conflict and the Public Use of Symbol in Northern Ireland

by Jack Santino

"Signs of War and Peace" focuses on the role of public display in the conflict in Northern Ireland. Jack Santino explores the nature of public display, its relationships to class-based aesthetics, tradition, and popular style. He also looks at contest, conflict, and civil war, and the ways the former are intimately intertwined with the latter, both in Northern Ireland and elsewhere. The work is interdisciplinary, combining ethnographic, anthropological, folkloristic, and performance study approaches, benefiting from field work in Ireland.

Genres: Folklore

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Jack Santino is professor of folklore and popular culture and has served as director of the Bowling Green Center for Popular Culture Studies. He was the Alexis de Tocqueville Distinguished Professor at the University of Paris, Sorbonne, 2010–2011. He was a Fulbright Scholar to Northern Ireland and has conducted research in Spain and France. His documentary film on Pullman Porters, Miles of Smiles, Years of Struggle, received four Emmy awards. His research centers on rituals and celebrations, with a particular focus on carnival and political and public ritual as reflective of political, social, and cultural identity. He is the author of numerous books and articles.

Reviews

[amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, reading this for my thesis as well. He illustrates the semiotic significance of all visual cultural rituals in Norhtern Ireland, i.e. parades, banners, murals, material culture of all sorts. Good for anybody who is interested in the conflict of Northern Ireland and wants a different take on it. The book looks at the challenging social terrain of Northern Ireland through visual material instead of strict political history.

[Anthony Buckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, sympathetic intelligent piece of work