Ireland and Empire: Colonial Legacies in Irish History and Culture

by Stephen Howe

A growing number of historians, political commentators, and cultural critics have sought to analyze Ireland's past and present in colonial terms. For some, including Irish Republicans, it is the only proper framework for understanding Ireland. Others reject the very use of the colonial label for Ireland's history; amongst some Ulster Unionists the term is greeted with outrage. This book evaluates and analyzes these controversies, which range from debates over the ancient and medieval past to those in current literary and postcolonial theory. Scholarly, at times polemical, it is the most comprehensive study of these themes ever to appear. It will undoubtedly arouse sharp controversy.

Genres: Ireland, History, Cultural, European History

342 pages, Hardcover

First published April 6, 2000

Reviews

[amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wish I could give this zero stars. This British man who is a “scholar of colonialism,” (lol) thinks that British imperialism, “in any analytically useful or politically relevant sense, is not a significant factor today in any aspect of Irish life.” What’s more, he agrees with Hutchinson’s claim that Irish historians “have entirely failed to understand Irish nationalism” due to their “insularity.” He’s also brave enough to say that we shouldn’t assume that “the emergence of racial discourses… was intimately or necessarily linked to colonialism.” Actually, he says, you CAN have “colonialism without racism.” Clearly, this British Man is Correct and the Irish People Are Just Overreacting. How did this get published? Jail !!!!!!!!!