Issue n° 10, 2020
Guest editor, Patrick McDonagh
European University Institute, Florence
The deadline for abstract submission is 15th October 2019
In recent years, events such as the 2018 Abortion Referendum, 2017 recognition of Travellers as an ethnic minority, the 2015 Same-Sex Marriage Referendum, 2015 Gender Recognition Act and the 2013 State apology to women sent to Magdalene laundries, amongst others, have all symbolised a dramatic positive transformation in Irish society. These developments heralded the emergence of a more tolerant, welcoming and inclusive society, willing to acknowledge the wrongs of its past. For many, they have signalled a new dawn in Ireland’s history, leaving behind the image of a socially conservative society. While the overwhelming majority of politicians and political parties speak out in support of minorities and those once marginalised in society, championing their right to dignity, equality, respect and basic human rights, this has not always been the case. On the contrary, for much of the twentieth century Ireland’s political class remained silent, or turned a blind eye to issues affecting minorities and those who did not conform to the status quo, whether that be as a result of their gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, creed, ethnic minority, disability, etc. In fact, until only recently, this cohort often found themselves at the margins of Irish society, with many forced to emigrate in search of a better life.
While many issues still remain to be addressed, most notably the controversy surrounding direct provision and questions of equality, same-sex marriage and abortion in the North, the aforementioned changes in Irish society are particularly noteworthy, demonstrating the extent to which a small cohort of marginalised individuals and groups can bring about social, cultural and political change in the face of considerable constraints. To date, however, these groups have been understudied in Irish historiography; a historiography which has for decades primarily adopted a top down, rather than bottom up approach to understanding change in Ireland. With this in mind, this special edition seeks to bring minorities to the fore and explore their role in transforming Irish society. In particular, it seeks to explore issues such as; how have minorities sought to make their voices heard in Ireland, what strategies have they adopted to bring about social and political change, where were the sites of these efforts taking place; and how have representations of minorities evolved over time. We are interested in papers from a range of different disciplinary backgrounds which seek to explore the role and impact of any of the below in bringing about social, cultural and political change in Ireland.
Fields of investigation and topics may include:
Disability/disability rights
Ethnic and linguistic minorities
Health/Patients’ Rights Advocacy
HIV/AIDS activism
LGBT+ rights advocacy
Migrants/refugees
Religious minorities
Sex Workers
Those sent to institutional homes (i.e. Magdalene laundries)
Travelling community
Please send abstracts of 250 to 400 words, as well as a short biography of 50 to 100 words, by 15th October 2019to the Guest Editor, Patrick McDonagh(<Patrick.Mcdonagh@eui.eu>), to the General Editor, Fiorenzo Fantaccini(<ffantaccini@unifi.it>) and to Dieter Reinisch (<dieter.reinisch@eui.eu>)assistant editor for the 10thissue.
Submissions accepted for publications will be announced by the end of October 2019.
Finalized contributions for submission to referees must reach the editors by 1st February 2020: Articles must be formatted in accordance with the journal editorial guidelines <http://www.fupress.net/public/journals/37/sijis_guidelines.pdf> and should not exceed 12000 words, including endnotes and bibliography. Informal enquiries to the Guest editor and General Editor are welcome and should be addressed to the contacts above.
The 10th issue of Studi irlandesi. A Journal of Irish Studies will be published in June 2020.
