New Books in History

Ciaran O'Neill, "Power and Powerlessness in Union Ireland: Life in a Palliative State" (Oxford UP, 2024)


Listen Later

Ciaran O’Neill is the Ussher Associate Professor in Nineteenth-Century History at Trinity College Dublin. His work mainly focuses on the social and cultural history of Ireland and empire, the history of education and elites, colonial legacies, modern literature, and public history. In this interview, he discusses Power and Powerlessness in Union Ireland: Life in a Palliative State (Oxford UP, 2024), a survey of the state in nineteenth-century Ireland.

Life in a Palliative State is an exploratory book that challenges assumptions about who might have been powerful, or powerless, in Union Ireland. It decenters sectarian division, popular and parliamentary politics, and the tradition of physical-force nationalism and emphasizes transnational phenomena, a settler colonial diaspora, and minority groups on the island. Departing from the conventional focus on political leaders like Parnell and De Valera, the book concentrates on the everyday dynamics of power and resistance during the Union. Structured as interlocking essays spanning the long nineteenth century, the book begins by defining the power structures that governed Ireland. Subsequent chapters examine the governance of Ireland, the development of infrastructure, and the mapping of its population and territory. Drawing on feminist theories of power, the book also explores marginalized groups and their agency within Irish society, debunking the myth of Irish ‘ungovernability.’ One is the Irish diaspora, positioned as both a resource and a threat within the wider context of European settler colonialism. By analyzing the diaspora’s influence and the phenomenon of remittances, the book challenges prevailing notions of powerlessness. By tracing a geographical journey from East to West, the book questions traditional representations of authenticity and colonization

Power and Powerlessness in Union Ireland: Life in a Palliative State is published with Oxford University Press.

Aidan Beatty is a lecturer in history at Carnegie Mellon University

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

New Books in HistoryBy Marshall Poe

  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4

4

199 ratings


More shows like New Books in History

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,431 Listeners

BirdNote Daily by BirdNote

BirdNote Daily

1,186 Listeners

We the People by National Constitution Center

We the People

1,108 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

290 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,182 Listeners

New Books in Psychoanalysis by Marshall Poe

New Books in Psychoanalysis

193 Listeners

New Books in Military History by Marshall Poe

New Books in Military History

161 Listeners

New Books in African American Studies by New Books Network

New Books in African American Studies

161 Listeners

New Books in Anthropology by New Books Network

New Books in Anthropology

49 Listeners

New Books in Literary Studies by New Books Network

New Books in Literary Studies

22 Listeners

New Books in Philosophy by New Books Network

New Books in Philosophy

109 Listeners

New Books in Religion by New Books Network

New Books in Religion

28 Listeners

New Books in Native American Studies by Marshall Poe

New Books in Native American Studies

103 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,869 Listeners

Lectures in History by C-SPAN

Lectures in History

729 Listeners

The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

The LRB Podcast

293 Listeners

New Books in Critical Theory by Marshall Poe

New Books in Critical Theory

143 Listeners

New Books in Intellectual History by New Books Network

New Books in Intellectual History

61 Listeners

Intelligence Squared by Intelligence Squared

Intelligence Squared

785 Listeners

London Review Bookshop Podcast by London Review Bookshop

London Review Bookshop Podcast

127 Listeners

Jacobin Radio by Jacobin

Jacobin Radio

1,432 Listeners

Booknotes+ by C-SPAN

Booknotes+

196 Listeners

Close Readings by London Review of Books

Close Readings

66 Listeners

Past Present Future by David Runciman

Past Present Future

302 Listeners