Margins and marginalities in France and Ireland

French and Irish societies have been characterised in recent times by major upheavals brought about by the threat of terrorism, the collapse of economic and social structures, mass migration, the diminished role of organised religion, the ghettoization of minorities, increased homelessness and a general distrust of institutions. As a result of all these changes, the margins are now beginning to attract more and more people who find themselves placed in disadvantaged circumstances through political upheaval and/or economic or cultural necessity.In this volume, the sociocultural perspective theory which has emerged in the field of social psychology (as put forward by Catherine Sanderson)is extended to the study of life on the edge in France and Ireland. The effects of sociocultural factors on individual and collective identities are assessed in two societies that share a large number of characteristics as members of the European Union, but still retain specificities resulting from the impact of distinct historically shapedsociocultural forces. Three test research areas appear particularly significant to assess change: human rights, marginalisation and exclusion; food and drink on the margins;the links between diaspora and marginality. These areasare examined from an interdisciplinary perspective in the hope of proposingground-breaking hypotheses that might assist us to understand the world we live in.

Auteur

Catherine Maignant is Professor of Irish studies at the university of Lille (France). She was President of the French Association of Irish studies (SOFEIR) and of the European Federation of Associations and Centres of Irish Studies (EFACIS) for a number of years. After writing a PhD on early medieval Irish Christianity, she now specializes in contemporary Irish religious history. Her research interests include the New Religious Movement, the response of the Catholic Church to secularization, interreligious dialogue, Celtic Christianity and the religious aspects of globalization. She has published widely in all these areas.

Sylvain Tondeur is a full-time English teacher at the University of Lille. He is currently registered on a PhD, a «co-tutelle» established between the Université de Lille and the National Centre for Franco-Irish Studies (TU Dublin - Tallaght Campus). His research focuses on the contemporary revival of Irish distilleries and on the influence of alcohol on Ireland's cultural identity. His research interests also include the phenomenon of illicit distillations in the 18th and 19th centuries in Ireland, and the history of the Irish drinks industry.

DéborahVandewoude is a senior lecturer in English at the Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale where she lectures in British History, Irish Studies and Education. She holds a PhD on the Roman Catholic Church in contemporary Ireland. Her research interests include Roman Catholicism, popular religion, new religious movements, religious education. She is the author of L'Eglise catholique face aux défis contemporains en République d'Irlande(Peter Lang - 2012). She also published a series of articles on the Catholic Church's response to secularization and on the communication strategies designed by the Institution in Ireland.