Race, Politics, and Irish America: A Gothic History

The Irish have undergone racial transformations throughout history, as depicted in literature, film, caricature, and beauty discourse. This cultural history explores the forcibly transported Irish, eighteenth-century Presbyterian Ulster-Scots, and post-1845 Famine immigrants, and how they were labeled as Redlegs, Scots-Irish, and black Irish in the Americas. Irish-connected presidents, such as Jackson and Kennedy, signaled their respective cohorts' assimilation, and Gothic literature reflects the complicity of attaining power (whiteness). The undead Irish past replays within America's contexts of race, making history Gothic in Irish-American narrative.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 01 December 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press

The Irish have undergone a remarkable racial transformation throughout history, spanning various regions and contexts. Figures such as Andrew Jackson, who hailed from the Scots-Irish community, and Rihanna, with Caribbean-Irish roots, exemplify this phenomenon. This cultural history of race and Irishness in the Americas delves into the experiences of forcibly transported Irish, eighteenth-century Presbyterian Ulster-Scots, and post-1845 Famine immigrants. The designations they acquired in the Americas, including "Redlegs," "Scots-Irish," and "black Irish," shed light on their racial metamorphosis.

In the realm of literature, authors like Fitzgerald, O'Neill, Mitchell, Glasgow, and Yerby (an African-American author with Scots-Irish heritage) explore the complex dynamics of the Irish within America's racial structure. Depictions range from Irish interactions with Native and African Americans to the fierce competition within America's immigrant hierarchy between Saxon Scots-Irish and Celtic Irish Catholic communities. The presence of Irish-connected presidents adds another layer to the narrative, but the inclusion of queer and multiracial authors, public women, beauty professionals, and performers complicates the prevailing "Irish whitening" narrative.

For instance, the global rise to royalty of Irish Princess Grace Kelly paved the way for America's royals, including the Kennedy family. The presidencies of Scots-Irish Jackson and Catholic-Irish Kennedy symbolized the assimilation of their respective cohorts. Gothic literature, particularly its expression of the complicity involved in attaining power (whiteness), has given rise to subgenres such as "Scots-Irish Gothic" and "Kennedy Gothic." These subgenres explore the violence perpetrated by the colonial Irish motherland upon marginalized Americans, including other Irish groups.

Through these various aspects, the Irish racial transformation serves as a testament to the resilience and adaptability of the Irish people, as they have navigated and influenced the course of American history in profound ways.

Weight: 572g
Dimension: 240 x 162 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192859730