The Green Space: The Transformation of the Irish Image

The Green Space explores the transformation of the Irish image in American popular culture from downtrodden and despised to universally acclaimed, highlighting the political, cultural, racial, commercial, and social factors that contributed to this change. It argues that the evolution of the Irish image was transnational, involving both Ireland and the United States, and that culture and identity can be manufactured, repackaged, and revolutionized.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 15 April 2024
Publisher: New York University Press

The Irish image in popular culture has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past century, from phrases like "No Irish Need Apply" to "Kiss Me, I'm Irish." This transformation is a complex blend of political, cultural, racial, commercial, and social influences. The Green Space examines the various factors that contributed to remaking the Irish image from downtrodden and despised to universally acclaimed. Marion R. Casey argues that the evolution of "Irish" between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries opened up a visual and rhetorical expanse for representing ethnicity. The evolution was also transnational, with both Ireland and the United States inextricably linked to how various iterations of "Irish" were deployed over time. The Green Space features a rich assortment of sources and images, making it a prime example of the ways in which culture and identity can be manufactured, repackaged, and ultimately revolutionized. Understanding the multifaceted influences that shaped perceptions of "Irishness" holds profound relevance for examining similar dynamics within studies of various immigrant and ethnic communities in the US.

Weight: 703g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781479817450