SSP-100 (022) Ireland: Myth, Reality, Conflict, Identity

James Kennelly, Associate Professor of Management and Business

Ireland did not really enter the 20th century until nearly the end of it. Yet, when it did so, it was at a dizzying pace. We will explore, in a broad interdisciplinary manner, patterns of modern and contemporary Irish life and culture, Ireland's unique "sense of place," and finally, the issue of Irish identity (including the conflict between the "two traditions" in Northern Ireland). We set aside simplified stereotypes of the Irish and explore instead the diversity and plurality of Irish identity. Ultimately, we seek to answer such questions as: What does it mean to be Irish in an Ireland that has radically changed the way it views itself and the world? Can the Irish remain the most "globalized" economy in the world, without becoming less Irish? If the country buries its past, what will replace it?