The Institute of Irish Studies welcomes three new Busteed scholars
Three early career scholars have been awarded the Busteed Postdoctoral Prize to join the Institute of Irish Studies as fellows for 2018-2019.
The three fellows bring expertise in gender and violence in the medieval period; technologies of famine in the nineteenth century; and discourses of Irish nationalism.
Researchers will also be blogging about their findings on the Irish Studies blog.
Dr. Aine Foley’s project investigates women as victims and perpetrators of violence in late medieval Ireland (c1275-1500). Women could be victims of physical assault, rape, abduction and murder. Less often, violence was perpetrated by women, and although they were rarely accused of murder, women were more likely to commit some types of violence then men, such as infanticide. While there is a rich historiography in violence and conflict studies for the rest of medieval Europe, Ireland has thus far been neglected. Medieval Ireland has a rich vein of archival records which I will utilise to remedy this neglect.
Dr. Pete Hession’s work will explore the role of technology during the Great Famine (1845-52), challenging the perceived ‘backwardness’ of 1840s Ireland while offering a new approach to the issues of culpability and intention which dominate both scholarly and popular debate. By examining new and innovative technologies of exchange (i.e. rail, steam, road infrastructure) as well as those of relief (i.e. vats, mills, scales), it explores how the crisis can be explained as much in terms of technical ‘competence’ as ecological breakdown. The project traces how these technologies both weakened and strengthened access to food, functioning in the ‘grey zone’ between the ‘natural’ and ‘man-made’ contexts in which they operated.
Dr. Edward Molloy’s research addresses the underdevelopment in Irish historiography of the political and theoretical contribution of major actors in the development of Irish nationalism, with a particular focus on the Young Ireland movement (1842-48). By drawing on the interdisciplinary resources of intellectual history, post-colonial theory and post-structuralism, he aims to produce new and innovative readings of important contemporary texts (such as The Nation newspaper). This research draws out the generative themes of ‘race,’ history and violence as they function within the discursive production of nationality in mid-Victorian Ireland.
Events throughout the year
Find out more about our events listings for 2018