Ireland’s Cultural Empire: Contacts, Comparisons, Translations

The volume highlights Ireland's cultural and linguistic influence in the world. It springs from research carried out on the relationship between Ireland and England and pays special attention to the concept of colony. Traditional adjectives as colonial and post-colonial have been purposely avoided in the title. When referring to Ireland, they reinforce a prejudicial perspective and blur the relevant influence of its cultural heritage and identity. In the decades after independence, Ireland was predominantly defined in terms of separatism and isolation, and in a contrasting, antagonistic relationship with Britain. Recent studies have instead explored the essential connectedness of Irish culture. Instead, the concept of an Irish cultural empire counterbalances this bias and this new Italian publication will advance our understanding of international strands in Irish identity. The wide-ranging choice of authors and topics sets the essays in a broader context which outlines a chronological thread starting by dealing with Ireland’s major cultural impact in Europe during the Middle Ages and the influence of classic motifs in Anglo-Irish culture. The following essays focus on 18th, 19th and 20th century Irish writers (not always famous ones) who export their legacy abroad even to the Far Eastern Japan. Besides, the volume offers new perspectives on Irish emigration in Australia and the USA.