American Conference for Irish Studies Mid-Atlantic and New England Regional Conference 

November 6th and 7th 2026

Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ 

“Not a Monoculture”: Ideas of Irishness 


Guardian writer Rory Carroll argues that “The first years of independent Ireland tend to be remembered, if at all, as a dreary monochrome of parochialism and conservatism.” The newly digitized 1926 Ireland census challenges earlier conceptions of the Irish State as monolithic, with the prevalence of immigrants in the census showing Ireland was “not a monoculture.” What was daily life like post-partition for residents of the new Republic of Ireland, the North, and those in the diaspora? How do the political, social and historical upheavals of the 20th century continue to reverberate in contemporary Irish literature and society?  What concept of “Irishness” did/do emigrants carry with them as they moved away from the island nation, and what ideas about Irishness did/do immigrants develop when they made Ireland their home? What role did/do gender play in daily life for Irish people on the island and abroad? We invite abstracts addressing “ideas of Irishness,” particularly those that approach the decades following the formation of the independent nation state in 1926, as well as in earlier moments of perceived homogeneity like the Devotional Revolution and the pre-colonial era. We welcome abstracts that consider the impact(s) of monolithic representations and that problematize monocultural readings of Irish literature, history and culture, including those considering Ireland and Irishness in any time period especially from a transnational perspective. 

Abstracts are also welcome that address:

• • genres as a response to both memory and ideas of Irishness, the rise of the short story, novels, revival and counter- revival theatre, and film, including imagined Irishness in recent films like Sinners. 
  • the history and revival of the Irish language and Irish language literature both on the island and in the diaspora are also welcome.
  • the role of gender in ideas of Irishness 
  • how migration and emigration have shaped the island from departures from Ireland to fraught responses to people becoming part of the Irish community. Papers could consider the recent racist riots in Belfast and the response against that violence. 

Abstracts for individual presentations should be 250-300 words and include a brief (100-word) bio of the presenter. Panel proposals are no more than 500 words, including a rationale for the panel, plus a brief description of each paper and of the participants. Proposals of 500 words for other presentations should include a rationale and short biographies. 

Undergraduates interested in a poster session should submit a 200-word description of their poster and a short (50-word) biography.

The submission deadline is August 28th, 2026. Please submit your abstract here: https://forms.gle/eSA75FSAMEhquMRp9

Seton Hall University is an easy 30-minute train ride from New York City and is near the train lines to Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. 

Rooms available at conference rates at the Courtyard by Marriott West Orange, NJ, 973-363-9576