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In 1185 Gerald of Wales spoke of the Irish as "a filthy people, wallowing in vice". According to him they were godless, sexually depraved and prone to constant bursts of violence. Their proverbial aggressiveness left the English no choice but to subjugate their country; after all it was the only chance those poor creatures had to participate in the English culture so far superior to their own. Unfortunately, nothing much changed in the 600 years following Gerald - and then it got even worse! The 19thcentury saw the immergence of unprecedented racist sentiments which were, to some extent, triggered by the newly emerging science of natural history. Cartoons depicted the Irishman as an apelike creature and thus added to the generally bad reputation the Irish enjoyed in Britain. In this seminar we will trace the 800 years of anti-Irish prejudice. A reader with relevant material will be available at the beginning of the seminar. |
