NEW BOOK: Transcultural Insights into Contemporary Irish Literature and Society

Transcultural Insights into Contemporary Irish Literature and Society: Breaking New Ground. Edited by María Amor Barros-del Río. Routledge, 2024.

Transcultural Insights into Contemporary Irish Literature and Society examines the transcultural patterns that have been enriching Irish literature since the twentieth century and engages with the ongoing dialogue between contemporary Irish literature and society. Driven by the growing interest of transcultural studies in the humanities, this volume provides an insightful analysis of how Irish literature handles the delicate balance between authenticity and folklore, uniformization and diversity in an increasingly globalized world. Following a diachronic approach, the volume includes critical readings of canonical Irish literature as an uncharted exchange of intercultural dialogues. The text also explores the external and internal transcultural traits present in recent Irish literature and its engagement with social injustice and activism and discusses location and mobility as vehicles for cultural transfer and the advancement of the women’s movement. A final section also includes examination of literary expressions of hybridization, diversity and assimilation to scrutinise negotiations of new transcultural identities. In the light of the compiled contributions, the volume ends with a revisitation of Irish studies in a world in which national identity has become increasingly problematic. All in all, this volume presents new insights on the fictional engagement of contemporary Irish literature with political, social and economic issues, and its efforts to accommodate the local and the global, resulting in a re-shaping of national collective imaginaries.

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María Amor Barros del-Río is a Senior Lecturer in English Studies at the University of Burgos (Spain), and Secretary of AEDEI (the Spanish Association for Irish Studies). She has published widely on contemporary Irish literature and her work has been recognized by positive reviews in international journals, grants and awards received to date.