Máiréad Nic Craith

Civilization and culture have traditionally been regarded as mutually exclusive concepts. In this comparative case-study of Northern Ireland, Máiréad Nic Craith explores the commitment of unionists to a civic, 'culture-blind' British state; contrasting this with nationalist demands for official recognition of Irish culture. The 'cultural turn' in Northern Irish politics and the development of a bicultural infrastructure is examined here in the context of differing interpretations of equality and increasing demands for intercultural communication within, as well as between, communities.

Culture and Identity Politics in Northern Ireland

Exploring An t-Oileánach (anglicised as The Islandman), an indigenous Irish-language memoir written by Tomás Ó Criomhthain (Tomás O'Crohan), Máiréad Nic Craith charts the development of Ó Criomhthain as an author; the writing, illustration, and publication of the memoir in Irish; and the reaction to its portrayal of an authentic, Gaelic lifestyle in Ireland. As she probes the appeal of an island fisherman’s century-old life-story to readers in several languages—considering the memoir’s global reception in human, literary and artistic terms—Nic Craith uncovers the indelible marks of Ó Criomhthain’s writing closer to home: the Blasket Island Interpretive Centre, which seeks to institutionalize the experience evoked by the memoir, and a widespread writerly habit amongst the diasporic population of the Island. Through the overlapping frames of literary analysis, archival work, interviews, and ethnographic examination, nostalgia emerges and re-emerges as a central theme, expressed in different ways by the young Irish state, by Irish-American descendants of Blasket Islanders in the US today, by anthropologists, and beyond.

Narrative and Nostalgia

The Vanishing World of The Islandman

Ullrich Kockel

Jonas Frykman

A Companion to the Anthropology of Europe offers a survey of contemporary Europeanist anthropology and European ethnology, and a guide to emerging trends in this geographical field of research. Providing a synthesis of the different traditions and contemporary approaches, the book is both thematic and fully cross-European in its approach. Provides an authoritative guide for researchers, instructors and students of anthropology and European studies Discusses important emerging trends in this broadening field of research Includes established names and rising stars who will shape the discipline in years to come

A Companion to the Anthropology of Europe

Northern Ireland is frequently characterised in terms of a two traditions paradigm, representing the conflict as being between two discrete cultures. Demonstrating the reductionist nature of this argument, this book highlights the complexity of reality.

The Case of Northern Ireland

Plural Identities--singular Narratives

Cristina Clopot

Baiba Tjarve

Heritage and Festivals in Europe critically investigates the purpose, reach and effects of heritage festivals. Providing a comprehensive and detailed analysis of comparatively selected aspects of intangible cultural heritage, the volume demonstrates how such heritage is mobilised within events that have specific agency, particularly in the production and consumption of intrinsic and instrumental benefits for tourists, local communities and performers. Bringing together experts from a wide range of disciplines, the volume presents case studies from across Europe that consider many different varieties of heritage festivals. Focusing primarily on the popular and institutional practices of heritage making, the book addresses the gap between discourses of heritage at an official level and cultural practice at the local and regional level. Contributors to the volume also study the different factors influencing the sustainable development of tradition as part of intangible cultural heritage at the micro- and meso-levels, and examine underlying structures that are common across different countries. Heritage and Festivals in Europe takes a multidisciplinary approach and as such, should be of interest to scholars and students in the fields of heritage studies, tourism, performing arts, cultural studies and identity studies. Policymakers and practitioners throughout Europe should also find much to interest them within the pages of this volume.

Performing Identities

Heritage and Festivals in Europe

Dominance, identity and resistance are key themes in this examination of language in global, virtual and local settings. It focuses on world languages, linguistic rights and minority protection. Case studies explore the social strategies employed by migrants speaking non-indigenous tongues and the effect of religion in sensitive political contexts.

Language, Power and Identity Politics

Examining identity in relation to globalization and migration, this book uses narratives and memoirs from contemporary authors who have lived 'in-between' two or more languages. It explores the human desire to find one's 'own place' in new cultural contexts, and looks at the role of language in shaping a sense of belonging in society.

An Intercultural Perspective

Narratives of Place, Belonging and Language

Reinhard Johler

Covering institutional, demo-geographical and political 'smallness', this book examines Europe's 'small ethnologies'. It discusses how 'smallness' characterizes the central structure of a nation or region and also determines its experiential horizon.

Máiréad Nic Craith

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