Defining Events ─ Power, Resistance and Identity in Twenty-First-Century Ireland

This book re-visits and re-thinks some recent defining events in Irish society. Some of these are high profile and occupy a prominent place in public consciousness, such as the announcement of the banking guarantee and the publication of the Ryan report into clerical child abuse, while others are 'fringe' events which attracted less attention, such as the launch of Indymedia.ie, or were widely discussed in popular culture, like the publication of Donal Og Cusack's autobiography or the opening of Dundrum Town Centre. The book critically explores issues of equality, belonging and rights as they impact on diverse communities in Ireland, be they older people, migrants or LGBT people.

As focal points for each chapter, all of the events covered in the book provide rich insights into the dynamics of Irish society in the twenty-first century. All expose underlying and complex issues of identity, power and resistance that animate public debate. In so doing, the book ultimately encourages readers to question the sources of, limits and obstacles to change in contemporary Ireland.

This book brings together in a single volume the experience, research and analysis of critical commentators from a diverse range of disciplines across the social sciences, and provides an important contribution to discourse about social, economic and cultural issues in today's Ireland. This makes for an original, timely and genuinely inter-disciplinary text.

Rosie Meade and Fiona Dukelow are Lecturers in the School of Applied Social Studies at University College Cork