The Irish in Us

Irishness, Performativity, and Popular Culture

Autor: Negra, Diane; Eagan, Catherine M.; Griffin, Sean; Casey, Natasha; Pramaggiore, Maria
Editor: Duke University Press
ISBN: 9780822337287
eISBN Pdf: 9780822387848
Lloc de publicació: Durham , United States
Any de publicació digital: 2006
Mes: Febrer
Pàgines: 392
DDC: 700/.4529916200973
Idioma: Anglés

Descripció

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 Morrison’s music, Frank McCourt’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 Brooks’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 Americans’ 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

Contents
The Irish in Us: Irishness, Performativity, and Popular Culture
‘‘Still ‘Black’ and ‘Proud’ ’’: Irish America and the Racial Politics of Hibernophilia
The Wearing of the Green: Performing Irishness in the Fox Wartime Musical
‘‘The Best Kept Secret In Retail’’: Selling Irishness in Contemporary America
‘‘Papa Don’t Preach’’: Pregnancy and Performance in Contemporary Irish Cinema
Irish Roots: Genealogy and the Performance of Irishness
Ray Charles on Hyndford Street: Van Morrison’s Caledonian Soul
Garth Brooks in Ireland, or, Play That Country Music, Whiteboys
‘‘Does the Rug Match the Carpet?’’: Race, Gender, and the Redheaded Woman
Dead, White, Male: Irishness in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
‘‘A Bit of a Traveller in Everybody’’: Traveller Identities in Irish and American Culture
Feeling Éire(y): On Irish-Caribbean Popular Culture
Irishness, Innocence, and American Identity Politics before and after September 11
Contributors
Index