Description
Book SynopsisThe Republic of Ireland has changed much in the last few decades. It has become much more socially liberal, urban, secular and wealthy. It has also experienced large-scale immigration during a period when other Anglophone and many other European countries mainstream political parties have witnessed the exploitation of anti-immigrant nativism by some political mainstream parties as well as by the far right. Diverse Republic examines, as part of a wider focus on how immigration has changed Irish society, the emergence of antiimmigrant far-right groups through a focus on some key figures within these. It also considers the response of mainstream politics to immigration and examines efforts to encourage the integration of newcomers. The first part of the book examines how Irish society and identity has changed since the foundation of the state. This is relevant to the second part, which examines how and to what extent far right anti-immigration politics are likely to flourish or not in the Irish case. The second part of the book examines the appeal of far-right political responses to immigration in a context where some Irish citizens no longer appear to be represented by the political mainstream and where nativist populists lay claim to the symbols and heroes of the Republic. Diverse Republic makes the case for proactive measures to promote immigrant integration and social cohesion through citizenship, social policy and community development. It engages with shifting nationalist understandings of Irishness and makes the case for taking these seriously even if anti-immigrant nativist nationalism has found only fringe support in Irish politics to date. The symbols and history of what has become a diverse Republic should not become the property of those who would exclude some of its citizens.
Trade Review'Alan Shatter, the man behind the citizenship ceremony, on why Bryan Fanning's book about the importance of integration deserves to be widely read' - Irish Independent, May 2021. 'Professor Bryan Fanning's new book, Diverse Republic, is a timely discourse that challenges us to look closely at our behaviours and attitudes towards immigrants in today's Ireland' - UCD Today, April 2021 'Waters cuts a lonely figure in the Irish media landscape but equivalent views to his have driven the narratives of politically successful nativist populists in other English-speaking and European democratic countries.' - Bryan Fanning, writing in the Dublin Review of Books, May 2021'Nativist politics have not played a big role in recent Irish elections. Might that change?' - Bryan Fanning, Irish Times, May 2021
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements v Introduction Irish-Ireland Making Ireland Modern Immigration Nation Buying into Nativism White Irish Nationalisms Irish Far-Right Perspectives Immigration and Politics The Umbrella of Citizenship Inclusive Communities and Social Cohesion Diverse Republic Notes Select Bibliography Index
