An Anthropology of the Irish in Belgium: Belonging, Identity and Community in Europe

Description

The first anthropological account of the Irish diaspora in Europe in the 21st century, this book provides a culture-centric examination of the Irish diaspora. Focusing less on an abstract or technical definition of Irish self-identification, the author allows members of this group to speak through vignettes and interview excerpts, providing an anthropological lens that allows the reader to enter a frame of self-reference. This book therefore provides architecture to understand how diasporic communities might understand their own identities in a new way and how they might reconsider the role played by mobility in changing expressions of identity. Providing firsthand, experiential and narrative insight into the Irish diaspora in Europe, this volume promises to contribute an anthropological perspective to historical accounts of the Irish overseas, theoretical works in Irish studies, and sociological examinations of Irish identity and diaspora. Front Matter ....Pages i-xix The Irish Community at Home and Abroad (Sean O’ Dubhghaill)....Pages 1-22 Identity Politics, Belonging and Europe (Sean O’ Dubhghaill)....Pages 23-55 The Irish in Brussels: Culture, Language, Politics, Belonging (Sean O’ Dubhghaill)....Pages 57-92 Placing the Irish Diaspora in Place and Time in Europe (Sean O’ Dubhghaill)....Pages 93-123 Non-Irish, Irish Speakers Among the Irish Community in Belgium (Sean O’ Dubhghaill)....Pages 125-153 Imagined Belonging and the Irish Diaspora (Sean O’ Dubhghaill)....Pages 155-179 Back Matter ....Pages 181-209