Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LOVE (Love Across the Divide in Northern Irish Literature and Culture: 1968 - present)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2018-10-01 do 2020-09-30
There is a long tradition of depicting Ireland’s difficult relationship with Britain as a frustrated and dangerous romance between lovers from ‘opposing sides’. Although the trope goes back to the medieval period, these romances take a decidedly political turn after the Act of Union (1801) when Ireland became a part of the UK. After this, Ireland saw a rise in ‘National Tales’, typically involving a marriage plot signalling the union between the nations. In these novels, the heady thrill of a love story that cuts across social boundaries sets out to achieve some serious political and nation-building work.
After the Partition of the island took effect in 1921, and again in the latter decades of the twentieth century, as the euphemistically named ‘Troubles’ escalated in violence and terror, these types of stories became increasingly common. Looking at a range of poems, novels, plays, films and TV programmes from 1968 to the present, this project asks why the trope is so prevalent; how we might understand it; and why no one has taken these love stories seriously before now. As we approach the centenary of Partition and the prospect of a return to a post-Brexit hard border, these questions are more timely and urgent than ever.
Rather than dismiss the literary and cultural ramifications of trope as kitsch or low-brow, these project revealed how these romances are shockingly indicative of: an intimate and difficult relationship between Ireland and Britain; the ongoing national struggle within the borders of Northern Ireland itself; the domestic debris that decades of conflict have left in their wake; and the deeply embroiled nature of public culture, art and politics in the Northern Ireland.
The primary research questions for this project were:
1. Is the motif mobilised differently across literary and/or cultural forms and if so, how and why?
2. What do these narratives tell us about the (lack of progress) with regards to women’s rights and gender politics in the repressive state of Northern Ireland?
3. What changes can we see in these narratives in their depiction of sectarian politics in the decades between the Northern Irish Civil Rights movement of the late 60s (a movement echoing other campaigns in Europe and the U.S.) and our ‘post-Good Friday Agreement’ present?
4. How are homosexual romances depicted? How should we read such narratives in a province where same-sex marriage was prohibited, until 2020, “by reason of special voting arrangements which reflect the troubled past of [the Northern Irish] State”?
5. Why do so many BBC programmes rely on the trope and what role might state actors play in shaping the representation of such relationships?
6. Why is it that the romance narrative is almost always frustrated? Why do many narratives adopt the ‘love across the divide’ trope when the lovers are not from opposite sites of the political divide?
After the Partition of the island took effect in 1921, and again in the latter decades of the twentieth century, as the euphemistically named ‘Troubles’ escalated in violence and terror, these types of stories became increasingly common. Looking at a range of poems, novels, plays, films and TV programmes from 1968 to the present, this project asks why the trope is so prevalent; how we might understand it; and why no one has taken these love stories seriously before now. As we approach the centenary of Partition and the prospect of a return to a post-Brexit hard border, these questions are more timely and urgent than ever.
Rather than dismiss the literary and cultural ramifications of trope as kitsch or low-brow, these project revealed how these romances are shockingly indicative of: an intimate and difficult relationship between Ireland and Britain; the ongoing national struggle within the borders of Northern Ireland itself; the domestic debris that decades of conflict have left in their wake; and the deeply embroiled nature of public culture, art and politics in the Northern Ireland.
The primary research questions for this project were:
1. Is the motif mobilised differently across literary and/or cultural forms and if so, how and why?
2. What do these narratives tell us about the (lack of progress) with regards to women’s rights and gender politics in the repressive state of Northern Ireland?
3. What changes can we see in these narratives in their depiction of sectarian politics in the decades between the Northern Irish Civil Rights movement of the late 60s (a movement echoing other campaigns in Europe and the U.S.) and our ‘post-Good Friday Agreement’ present?
4. How are homosexual romances depicted? How should we read such narratives in a province where same-sex marriage was prohibited, until 2020, “by reason of special voting arrangements which reflect the troubled past of [the Northern Irish] State”?
5. Why do so many BBC programmes rely on the trope and what role might state actors play in shaping the representation of such relationships?
6. Why is it that the romance narrative is almost always frustrated? Why do many narratives adopt the ‘love across the divide’ trope when the lovers are not from opposite sites of the political divide?
This fellowship enabled the experienced researcher, Dr. Alison Garden to undertake a 24-month fellowship at Queen’s University Belfast QUB) to deliver a project on ‘Love across the Divide’ in Northern Irish literary and cultural texts from 1968 onwards, under the supervision of Professor Fran Brearton. While undertaking the Fellowship, Dr. Garden learnt new research-specific skills through working closely with academic experts at Queen’s and continued her professional development by attending courses offered by Queen’s ‘Staff Training and Development Unit’. Dr. Garden also gained experience producing and running educational activities for schoolchildren through a secondment at Seamus Heaney HomePlace; in addition, she designed and led her own third-year undergraduate module for students at Queen’s University. A prestigious secondment at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC NI) enabled Dr. Garden to gain research-relevant inter-sectoral experience and led to the production of 4 short programmes based on Dr. Garden’s research. During the MSCA, Dr. Garden produced a number of academic and non-academic publications and gave a number of academic talks at conferences and seminars; she also designed and ran a series of events for academic and general audiences.
These achievements were recognised by Queen’s University Belfast when she was won the Arts, Humanities and Social Science Researcher of the Year prize for 2020. In August 2020, Dr. Garden was awarded UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowship based on the initial findings of her MSCA project that will enable her to scale up the project in its disciplinary and temporal remits.
The results of this MSCA project have already been disseminated in four short BBC programmes (https://canvas-story.bbcrewind.co.uk/loveacrossthedivide/(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)) and in an article for non-academic audiences (https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0811/1158514-across-the-barricades-kevin-sadie-joan-lingard-northern-ireland-troubles/(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)). Forthcoming dissemination plans include two peer-reviewed journal articles, one peer-reviewed book chapter and the single-authored monograph based on the project’s findings.
These achievements were recognised by Queen’s University Belfast when she was won the Arts, Humanities and Social Science Researcher of the Year prize for 2020. In August 2020, Dr. Garden was awarded UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowship based on the initial findings of her MSCA project that will enable her to scale up the project in its disciplinary and temporal remits.
The results of this MSCA project have already been disseminated in four short BBC programmes (https://canvas-story.bbcrewind.co.uk/loveacrossthedivide/(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)) and in an article for non-academic audiences (https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0811/1158514-across-the-barricades-kevin-sadie-joan-lingard-northern-ireland-troubles/(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)). Forthcoming dissemination plans include two peer-reviewed journal articles, one peer-reviewed book chapter and the single-authored monograph based on the project’s findings.
The monograph that results from LOVE will be the first study of the pervasive ‘Love Across the Divide’ trope, a study that will dramatically advance our understanding of contemporary Northern Irish culture. This monograph asserts how vitally important, political and revealing such narratives are, as an essential component to making sense of the deeply intimate Anglo-Irish conflict.
This MSCA project laid the foundations for Dr. Garden’s UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, that will enable her to put together a team to produce a social and culture history of mixed marriage in modern Ireland: an unprecedented body of research that will have a transformative impact on our understanding of modern Irish and British history. This UKRI project builds upon the findings of the MSCA research and was developed collaboration with numerous stakeholders, with the aim of communicating with diverse publics and contributing to the ongoing process of reconciliation in the North.
This MSCA project laid the foundations for Dr. Garden’s UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, that will enable her to put together a team to produce a social and culture history of mixed marriage in modern Ireland: an unprecedented body of research that will have a transformative impact on our understanding of modern Irish and British history. This UKRI project builds upon the findings of the MSCA research and was developed collaboration with numerous stakeholders, with the aim of communicating with diverse publics and contributing to the ongoing process of reconciliation in the North.