Múscailt

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In this episode, Rosie talks with Eilís Ward, formerly of the Department of Political Science and Sociology at NUIG, about her book Self that was published by Cork University Press in 2021 as part of the Síreacht series. Eilís’s book critically analyses the pervasive influence of neoliberal ideas, and how they have reshaped our understandings of our selves and our relationships with others. Against neoliberalism’s privileging of individualism and competition, Eilís highlights alternative and more hopeful ways of looking at ‘self’ as proposed by Zen Buddhist philosophy and practice.

Eilís and Rosie discussed what motivated her to write the book; the burdens neoliberalism places on young people (in particular); the neoliberal self as competitive, autonomous, resilient, responsibilise, perfectible and positive; the trap of therapy culture; the Buddhist concepts of non-self (Anatta) and dependent origination and how they urge us to recognise our inter-relationships with others; what these concepts might contribute to a progressive politics; her experiences of researching Buddhist peace work in Cambodia; some of the misuses of mindfulness; and sources of hope and further learning.

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In this episode, Niamh talks with Órla O’Donovan, senior lecturer at the Department of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork. Órla is part of a collective working on a project called ‘Living Well with the Dead in Contemporary Ireland’. The project aims to develop new ways of thinking about, researching and responding to human remains, especially those that Órla and her colleagues have called ‘the disenfranchised dead’.

We discussed the genesis of the project, and its emergence at time of deep public disquiet over the discovery of the remains of children in Tuam Mother and Baby Home. We also chatted about the complicity of universities in the exploitative treatment of human remains.

The episode focuses particularly on Órla and her colleagues’ research on a collection of wax moulages housed in the storage facilities of UCC’s Heritage Services. Dating from the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries, moulages were constructed from beeswax and other materials using plaster casts of diseased body parts of people living and dead. Typically regarded as inert teaching resources, Órla offers a radically different conceptualisation of their origins and ongoing significance, which draws on new materialist thinking - in particular the work of Donna Haraway - and on the ‘hauntological ethics’ of Jacques Derrida.

We also discussed the value of inter-disciplinary working and its potential to unsettle taken-for-granted disciplinary norms. For more information see Órla’s article Wax Moulages and the Pastpresence Work of the Dead. The interview features an extract from a performance that recreates an imaginary encounter between mouleur Jules Baretta, and a woman called Marie Etsy. The full recording is contained in the paper Sympathetic Vibrations: Sense-ability, Medical Performance, and Hearing Histories of Hurt – GPS (psi-web.org).

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In this episode, Rosie talks with Pádraic Fogarty, campaigns officer at the Irish Wildlife Trust and editor of ‘Irish Wildlife’ Magazine, about his book, Whittled Away – Ireland’s Vanishing Nature, that was published in 2017. Pádraic also presents the Shaping New Mountains podcast.

Whittled Away documents how our seas, waterways, skies, soil, woodlands and wildlife are being stripped of their diversity. While underscoring the urgency of this ecological crisis, and its negative consequence for Irish communities and society, Pádraic also considers how we might better approach and embrace our inter-relationships with nature.

Pádraic and Rosie discussed how his involvement in activism and campaigning led Pádraic to write this book; the significance of Ireland’s low density of environmental organisations; the exploitation of the seas and the EU Common Fishing Policy; the problems with the roll-out of the EU Habitats Directive; what’s wrong with the National Parks; lessons from the Burren about community engagement; our lack of knowledge about biodiversity and species loss in Ireland; tensions involved in advocating for biodiversity; rewilding – its meanings, prospects and possibilities; and what’s changed since the book was published in 2017.

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Múscailt is a podcast of interviews with scholars and writers who are raising important questions about Irish society through their research. Committed to critique and hope in equal measure, the show features discussions on a range of issues relating to ecology, criminal justice, politics, sexuality, culture, identity, social policy and more.

Join hosts Rosie Meade and Niamh McCrea for in-depth, convivial conversations with guests who want to share their work on Irish society with new audiences.

In this introductory episode Rosie and Niamh talk with Echo Chamber host, Tony Groves about what listeners can expect in the weeks ahead.

Support this podcast at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

Artwork by selkiesstudio.com