The Legacy of Whiteness in Multiracial Ireland and Irish America

Over the past quarter century, Ireland has transformed from a mostly homogeneous culture to the home of immigrants and refugees from around the world. Yet the legacies of white supremacy linger despite the seemingly tolerant welcome extended toward the country’s “New Irish” arrivals. Drawing upon research in historical and literary archives, Newhouse Fellow Sarah Townsend uncovers the secret history of Irish-American assimilation that haunts race relations in present-day Ireland. By tracing the racial transformation of neighborhoods from postwar Detroit to contemporary Dublin, she examines how Irish racial formation is intimately tied to the project of white upward mobility.

Sarah Townsend is an assistant professor of English at the University of New Mexico. She is a 2019-2020 Newhouse Center faculty fellow.

Image Caption: Sarah Townsend