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The Good Friday Agreement is widely celebrated as a political
success story, one that has brought peace to a region that was once
synonymous around the globe with political violence. The truth, as
ever, is rather more complicated than that. In many respects, the
era of the peace process has seen Northern Irish society change
almost beyond recognition. Those incidents of politically motivated
violence that were once commonplace have become thankfully rare and
a new generation has emerged whose identities and interests are
rather more fluid and cosmopolitan than those of their
predecessors. However, Northern Ireland continues to operate in the
long shadow of its own turbulent past. Those who were victims of
violence, as well as those who were its agents, have often been
consigned to the margins of a society still struggling to cope with
the traumas of the Troubles. Furthermore, the transition to 'peace'
has revealed the existence of new, and not so new, forms of
violence in Northern Irish society, directed towards women, ethnic
minorities and the poor. Northern Ireland a generation after Good
Friday sets out to capture the complex, and often contradictory,
realities that have emerged more than two decades on from the
region's vaunted peace deal. Across nine original essays, the
authors offer a critical and comprehensive reading of a society
that often appears to have left its violent past behind but at the
same time remains subject to its gravitational pull. -- .
Once held up as a 'poster child' for untrammeled capitalist
globalisation, the Irish Republic has more recently come to
represent a cautionary tale for those tempted to tread the same
neoliberal path. The crash in the world economy had especially
grave repercussions for Ireland, and a series of austerity measures
has seen the country endure what some consider the most substantial
'adjustment' ever experienced in a developed society during
peacetime. In this collection of essays, a range of academics,
economists and political commentators delineate the reactionary
course that Ireland has followed since the ignominious demise of
the Celtic Tiger. They argue that the forces of neoliberalism have
employed the economic crisis they caused to advance policies that
are in their own narrow interests, and that the host of regressive
measures imposed since the onset of global recession has
fundamentally restructured Irish society. The book provides a
critical account of a society that has more often than most mapped
out the pernicious cycle of boom and bust that remains an essential
hallmark of contemporary capitalism. -- .
For five short years in the 1980s, a four-piece Manchester band
released a collection of records that had undeniably profound
effects on the landscape of popular music and beyond. Today, public
and critical appreciation of The Smiths is at its height, yet the
most important British band after The Beatles have rarely been
subject to sustained academic scrutiny. Why pamper life's
complexities?: Essays on The Smiths seeks to remedy this by
bringing together diverse research disciplines to place the band in
a series of enlightening social, cultural and political contexts as
never before. Topics covered by the essays range from class,
sexuality, Catholicism, Thatcherism, regional and national
identities, to cinema, musical poetics, suicide and fandom. Lyrics,
interviews, the city of Manchester, cultural iconography and the
cult of Morrissey are all considered anew. The essays breach the
standard confines of music history, rock biography and pop culture
studies to give a sustained critical analysis of the band that is
timely and illuminating. This book will be of interest to scholars
and students in the fields of sociology, literature, geography,
cultural and media studies. It is also intended for a wider
audience of those interested in the enduring appeal of one of the
most complex and controversial bands. Accessible and original,
these essays will help to contextualise the lasting cultural legacy
of The Smiths. -- .
Ireland appears to be in the throes of a remarkable process of
social change. The purpose of this book is to systematically
scrutinize the interpretations and prescriptions that inform the
deceptively simple metaphor of the "Celtic Tiger." The standpoint
of the book is that a more critical approach to the course of
development being followed by the Republic is urgently required.
The essays collected here set out to expose the fallacies that
drive the fashionable rhetoric of Tigerhood. Four of these
fallacies--that Ireland has cast off the chains of economic
dependency, that everyone is benefiting from the economic recovery,
that personal freedom and liberty are at an unprecedented level for
all citizens, and that Ireland is also experiencing a period of
strong cultural renaissance--are vigorously challenged.
The Good Friday Agreement is widely celebrated as a political
success story, one that has brought peace to a region that was once
synonymous around the globe with political violence. The truth, as
ever, is rather more complicated than that. In many respects, the
era of the peace process has seen Northern Irish society change
almost beyond recognition. Those incidents of politically motivated
violence that were once commonplace have become thankfully rare and
a new generation has emerged whose identities and interests are
rather more fluid and cosmopolitan than those of their
predecessors. However, Northern Ireland continues to operate in the
long shadow of its own turbulent past. Those who were victims of
violence, as well as those who were its agents, have often been
consigned to the margins of a society still struggling to cope with
the traumas of the Troubles. Furthermore, the transition to 'peace'
has revealed the existence of new, and not so new, forms of
violence in Northern Irish society, directed towards women, ethnic
minorities and the poor. Northern Ireland a generation after Good
Friday sets out to capture the complex, and often contradictory,
realities that have emerged more than two decades on from the
region's vaunted peace deal. Across nine original essays, the
authors offer a critical and comprehensive reading of a society
that often appears to have left its violent past behind but at the
same time remains subject to its gravitational pull. -- .
This volume brings together a range of writers from different
academic disciplines and different locations to provide an engaging
and accessible critical exploration of one of the most revered and
reviled bands in the history of popular music. The essays collated
here locate The Clash in their own explosive cultural moment of
punk's year zero and examine how the group speaks from beyond the
grave to the uncanny parallels of other moments of social and
political crisis. In addition, the collection considers the impact
of the band in a range of different geopolitical contexts, with
various contributors exploring what the band meant in settings as
diverse as Italy, England, Northern Ireland, Australia and the
United States. The diverse essays gathered in Working for the
clampdown cast a critical light on both the cultural legacy and
contemporary resonance of one of the most influential bands ever to
have graced a stage. -- .
For five short years in the 1980s, a four-piece Manchester band
released a collection of records that had undeniably profound
effects on the landscape of popular music and beyond. Today, public
and critical appreciation of The Smiths is at its height, yet the
most important British band after The Beatles have rarely been
subject to sustained academic scrutiny. Why pamper life's
complexities?: Essays on The Smiths seeks to remedy this by
bringing together diverse research disciplines to place the band in
a series of enlightening social, cultural and political contexts as
never before. Topics covered by the essays range from class,
sexuality, Catholicism, Thatcherism, regional and national
identities, to cinema, musical poetics, suicide and fandom. Lyrics,
interviews, the city of Manchester, cultural iconography and the
cult of Morrissey are all considered anew. The essays breach the
standard confines of music history, rock biography and pop culture
studies to give a sustained critical analysis of the band that is
timely and illuminating. This book will be of interest to scholars
and students in the fields of sociology, literature, geography,
cultural and media studies. It is also intended for a wider
audience of those interested in the enduring appeal of one of the
most complex and controversial bands. Accessible and original,
these essays will help to contextualise the lasting cultural legacy
of The Smiths. -- .
In the last generation, Northern Ireland has undergone a tortuous
yet remarkable process of social and political change. This
collection of essays aims to capture the complex and shifting
realities of a society in the process of transition from war to
peace. The book brings together commentators from a range of
academic backgrounds and political perspectives. As well as
focusing upon those political divisions and disputes that are most
readily associated with Northern Ireland, it provides a rather
broader focus than is conventionally found in books on the region.
It examines the cultural identities and cultural practices that are
essential to the formation and understanding of Northern Irish
society but are neglected in academic analyses of the six counties.
While the contributors often approach issues from rather different
angles, they share a common conviction of the need to challenge the
self-serving simplifications and choreographed optimism that
frequently define both official discourse and media commentary on
Northern Ireland. Taken together, the essays offer a comprehensive
and critical account of a troubled society in the throes of change.
-- .
This is a critical overview of the various sources of social and
political identity in Northern Ireland. The book examines the key
variables of sociology - status, class and gender and, in this
case, ethno-religion - and explains why ethno-religious sentiment
has become the principle source of political identity. A range of
themes are covered: the role and status of women; the
representations of the conflict and peace process in the media;
sport; and the importance of popular music.
This volume brings together a range of writers from different
academic disciplines and different locations to provide an engaging
and accessible critical exploration of one of the most revered and
reviled bands in the history of popular music. The essays collated
here locate The Clash in their own explosive cultural moment of
punk's year zero and examine how the group speaks from beyond the
grave to the uncanny parallels of other moments of social and
political crisis. In addition, the collection considers the impact
of the band in a range of different geopolitical contexts, with
various contributors exploring what the band meant in settings as
diverse as Italy, England, Northern Ireland, Australia and the
United States. The diverse essays gathered in Working for the
clampdown cast a critical light on both the cultural legacy and
contemporary resonance of one of the most influential bands ever to
have graced a stage. -- .
Once held up as a 'poster child' for untrammeled capitalist
globalisation, the Irish Republic has more recently come to
represent a cautionary tale for those tempted to tread the same
neoliberal path. The crash in the world economy had especially
grave repercussions for Ireland, and a series of austerity measures
has seen the country endure what some consider the most substantial
'adjustment' ever experienced in a developed society during
peacetime. In this collection of essays, a range of academics,
economists and political commentators delineate the reactionary
course that Ireland has followed since the ignominious demise of
the Celtic Tiger. They argue that the forces of neoliberalism have
employed the economic crisis they caused to advance policies that
are in their own narrow interests, and that the host of regressive
measures imposed since the onset of global recession has
fundamentally restructured Irish society. The book provides a
critical account of a society that has more often than most mapped
out the pernicious cycle of boom and bust that remains an essential
hallmark of contemporary capitalism. -- .
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