Sociology Research Collection
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- PublicationThe Irish Language and Television: National Identity, Preservation, Restoration and Minority RightsThis paper examines the new Irish language television channel, Teilifis na Gaeilge. The politico-ideological and economic environments are assessed as factors influencing the formulation of the policies in which Irish language television is and has been placed. It is argued that the aims of the restoration and preservation of Irish, which are related to the building of the nation, are ideologically unacceptable in the current environment and that the economic arena of competition, in which RTE television operates, hinders it from providing a public service for the Irish speaking minority. It is argued that the new channel must be separate from RTE and founded on a minority rights policy.
Scopus© Citations 14 1149 - Publication
1936 - PublicationTeilifÃs na Gaeilge as a Public SphereThe public sphere is an heuristic concept employed as an ideal type in critique of that 'space' which exists between the individual and the state. Habermas claims that the public sphere has become transformed from a sphere of rational-critical debate to a sphere of consumption. Today the public sphere is mediated by the mass media, especially television. In this paper the role played by the Irish language media is critically assessed. It is argued that although the public sphere has been transformed Irish speakers have not 'existed' in the 'national' public sphere and that therefore these media provide an opportunity for Irish speakers to exist as a public. Finally it is claimed that public access is crucial for fulfilling the democratic potential of a public sphere.
165 - PublicationTG4 Féiniúlacht agus SaoránachtPléitear stair an chraolacháin Ghaeilge thar na cúig bliana is seachtó ó thosaigh an stáisiún raidid 2RN, suas go dtà an lá atá innin ann agus teacht TG4. Cuirtear an argóint chun cinn go bhfuil coimhlint ann idir dhá idé—eolaÃocht — bÃonn daoine ag súil go mbeidh TG4 in ann freastal ar an mhionlach a labhrann Gaeilge agus teacht ar airgead ó fhógraÃocht a bhÃonn ag brath ar lucht féachana nÃos mó ná mar atá fáil i mease lucht labhartha na Gaeilge amháin. Ar an lámh eile de thig le TG4 ról tábhachtach a bheith aici mar réimse miotasach inar féidir le Gaeilgeoirà a bhféinuúlacht a dhlisteanú.
158 - PublicationIrish-language broadcasting: history, ideology and identityIrish-language broadcasting is discussed. The history of Irish-language broadcasting is outlined from the 1920s to the present. Irish-language broadcasting since the 1960s is placed in the context of two competing ideologies - a traditional and a modern ideology. These ideologies are the foundations on which contradictory demands placed on TG4 are built. The conflict between minority rights and market forces are discussed in relation to TG4. It is argued that although TG4 might be expected to offer Irish speakers a public sphere in which they can participate democratically as citizens, it is more likely that TG4 plays another important role of offering a mythic domain for the construction of identity.
Scopus© Citations 13 1680 - PublicationTheorising the transition: Longue durée and current conjuncture in centre-periphery relations in Britain, France and SpainContemporary social theorists argue that we are at a moment of profound cultural and historical transition. This is conceived variously as a shift from modernity to reflexive modernity, from modernity to post- modernity, from the Westphalian system of nation-states to a global order, from the ‘Modern Age’ to the ‘Global Age’. The substantive arguments include the claim that the nation-state is in crisis as power is devolved upwards to international bodies and downwards to regions, that borders are dissolving and ‘societies’ are turning into multiple, spatially-extensive, open-ended networks, that social structures are ‘liquifying’ and cultures fragmenting. Is contemporary change really so far-reaching? Not everyone is so convinced.
107 - PublicationContemporary republicanism and the strategy of armed struggleAssuming that the conflict of the past thirty years is now drawing to a close, we can, with a certain distance and detachment, attempt to map its parameters, examine its causes and consequences, and seek to learn from it. Why did the conflict initially break out, why did it last so long, and why did it end when it did? Has the Good Friday Agreement finally legitimated Northern Ireland as a political entity, and has violence now been de-legitimated as a weapon in Irish and in Irish-British politics? Is political violence likely to continue in some form and could it conceivably return on the scale of the past thirty years?
183 - PublicationThe Land of Conditional WelcomesOfficial policy needs to catch up to the social reality that Ireland is a country of immigration, which requires a comprehensive and coordinated policy to ensure the long-term integration of immigrants into Irish society. There is much support within the state and the expanded community of social partners for a progressive approach to immigration and a policy of integration that extends beyond the rhetoric of cead mÃle fáilte.
364 - PublicationOrigins and legacies of Irish prudery: Sexuality and social control in modern IrelandThe history of Irish sexuality remains a relatively hidden, secretive area. In recent years some light has been cast into the abyss (Inglis 1998b; McAvoy 1999; McLoughlin 1994; Meany 1991; Walshe 1997; O’Carroll and Collins 1995). Most of the recent grand histories, however, have avoided dealing with sex and sexuality directly and have focused instead on such issues as censorship, the multi-faceted role of the Catholic church, fertility control, and, more recently, the sex-abuse scandals involving the Catholic church.1 It is as if the old Catholic-church strategy of not referring directly to sex and sexuality—for fear that it might offend or undermine the innocent—still guides what historians research and write about.
Scopus© Citations 74 12271 - Publication'The whole nation is listening to you': the presentation of the self on a tabloid talk radio showThis article focuses on callers' experiences of participating on a tabloid talk radio show. The performative dimension of calling was found to be central. This is an aspect of participation on talk radio shows that has been largely neglected by previous studies. Callers have concerns about how they manage their self-presentation on-air. They are aware of both the host and the listening audience, and try to control the impression they 'give off'. Callers to The Gerry Ryan Show are central players who, together with the host and the production team, contribute to the staging of debate in this on-air forum. Concerns about performance were found to be secondary for those who rang the show with a problem. These callers tended to prioritise instrumental goals such as problem-solving or support-seeking.
636Scopus© Citations 21 - PublicationCatholic Identity in Contemporary Ireland: Belief and Belonging to TraditionHoly Catholic Ireland is changing rapidly. Irish Catholics no longer have the same devotion to the Church that their parents had. While institutional affiliation and levels of belief remain high, there has been a decline in practice, particularly in the number going to Mass. This paper analyses recent changes in Catholic belief and practice, compares them with trends among other European Catholics, and links them to findings from a qualitative study of Contemporary Irish Identities. The changes in Irish Catholic religiosity can be associated with an ongoing detachment from the institutional church. An orthodox adherence to institutional rules and regulations appears to be giving way to a collective identification with a religious heritage. What was once defined as á la carte Catholicism seems to be giving way to a more smorgasbord approach in which Catholics not only pick and chose which institutional rules, beliefs and practices they prefer but, increasingly, mix these with ingredients from other religious traditions. These findings suggest a new typology of Irish Catholics.
Scopus© Citations 82 4026