Trials of Irish History: Genesis and Evolution of a Reappraisal (Routledge Studies in Modern European History)

Bringing her original insights into theory and philosophy to bear upon the controversial question of revision in Irish history, Evi Gkotzaridis presents the first historical and theoretical examination of the trailblazer historians who, from 1938, spearheaded an unpoliticized Irish history. Drawing on hitherto unused archives, Trials of Irish History shows how the venture to disenthrall Irish and European history from official propagandas proved stimulating and challenging, but perilous. Providing a new and stimulating conceptual framework for the study of Irish historiography, the book combines a theoretical approach with close analysis of important case studies and includes: * an incisive restaging of the passionate joust that took place between revisionists and traditionalists in the shadow of the Troubles* examination of the cultural contradiction of the first decades of independence, the estrangement of two regimes and the devastation of the Second World War* comparison of the Irish Kulturkampf to similar discussions in German and France in order to identify and examine the arguments propounded on each side. Prising open conflicting intellectual notions about the function of history in a divided society, this will be an informative and stimulating addition to the study of Irish history. Book Cover......Page 1 Half-Title......Page 2 Series Title......Page 3 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgements......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 Part I: History and Theory in the Irish Debate: Foes or Allies?......Page 14 1. The Intellectual Mood in the 1990s......Page 16 2. The Revisionist......Page 22 Part II: The Genesis of Modern Historical Scholarship in Ireland......Page 28 3. Internal Critique......Page 30 4. The Loss of History and the New Historian' Fight Against Propaganda on the Irish and Continental "Front"......Page 57 5. The Clash Between the New Historians and the Bureau of Military History......Page 93 Part III: The Great Famine: The Crisis of Representation and the Limits of Empirical History......Page 116 6. Weaknesses in Ethnographic Method......Page 118 7. Theoretical Underpinnings and their Impact......Page 127 8. The Claims of Memory and Critique......Page 147 Part IV: Master Narratives: Discarding of Historical Thinking?......Page 160 9. The Epistemological and Philosophical Position of Irish Revisionism......Page 162 10. The Revolution Comes Under Revisionist Scrutiny......Page 192 11. The Concept of Totalitarianism......Page 202 12. Revision, Deconstruction, Semiology......Page 215 Part V: Tensions Between Theoretical Intuition and Empirical Reflex......Page 238 13. Relativism and its Opponents......Page 240 14. The Problematic of Ends and Means......Page 251 15. Grappling with the Problem of Objectivity......Page 262 Conclusion......Page 281 Notes......Page 292 Bibliography......Page 317 Index......Page 331 The intellectual mood in the 1990s The revisionist Internal critique The loss of history and the new historians' fight against propaganda on the Irish and continental "front" The clash between the new historians and the bureau of military history Weaknesses in ethnographic method Theoretical underpinnings and their impact The claims of memory and critique The epistemological and philosophical position of Irish revisionism The revolution comes under revisionist scrutiny The concept of totalitarianism Revision, deconstruction, semiology Relativism and its opponents The problematic of ends and means Grappling with the problem of objectivity. Providing a new and stimulating conceptual framework for the study of Irish historiography, this book combines a theoretical approach with close analysis of important case studies and presents the first historical and theoretical examination of the trailblazer historians who, from 1938, spearheaded an unpoliticized Irish history This book focuses on the phenomenon of historical revision in Ireland. The new conceptualisations and interpretations of Irish historiography are analysed and assessed