Abstract
Lasting for more than three decades and causing the death of thousands of Irish people, the Troubles is a notorious historical event that took place in Northern Ireland between 1960s and 1998. Behind the Troubles lie many social and political problems that surrounded the region for almost a millennium. These problems revolved around the conflict between England -and later Britain- and Ireland. However, different from the long lasting Britain and Ireland conflict, the Troubles made Irish people confront themselves and kill each other. The inner-conflict in Northern Ireland depended on the deep-rooted and diversified sociopolitical demarcations that resulted from English involvement in Ireland. The two sides of the conflict were Catholic nationalists and Ulster Protestant unionists. While there are many literary works and films that deal with the Troubles, this article examines the Troubles through Tom Paulin’s play The Riot Act (1985). The play is written as an alternative version of Sophocles’ Antigone, and it offers no dramatic differences from the original text of Antigone. Nonetheless, the cultural, political, and historical contexts behind The Riot Act suggest that it is a political allegory that deal with the problems in Northern Ireland and the issue of Irishness. Yet, the political undertone of Paulin’s work hardly received the scholarly attention that is necessary to provide a new outlook towards the Troubles. Therefore, this paper argues that The Riot Act is a political allegory that satirises British internal colonialism and its policy of divide and rule, which initiated alienation, grudge, and animosity among Irish people and caused instability in Northern Ireland. To support its claim, this study grounds its theoretical foundation on Michael Hechter’s theory of internal colonialism and Jurgen Osterhammel’s theoretical overview of colonialism.
Keywords
the Troubles allegory satire internal colonialism colonialism nationalism Tom Paulin The Riot Act
References
- Bortolotti, G. R. and Hutcheon, L. (2007). On the Origin of Adaptations: Rethinking Fidelity Discourse and “Success”: Biologically. New Literary History, 38(3), 443–458. www.jstor.org/stable/20058017.
- Chandra, B. (1977). Marx And Engels And Colonialism in Ireland. Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 38, 637–650. www.jstor.org/stable/44139126.
- Deane, S. (1999). Introduction. In T. Eagleton, F. Jameson, and E. Said (Eds.). Nationalism, Colonialism, And Literature (pp. 3-22). London: University of Minnesota Press.
- Féron, É. (2014). Prisoners of History? British-Irish Relations and the Conflict in Northern Ireland. European Review of International Studies, 1(3), 94–109. www.jstor.org/stable/26593314.
- Grant, R. G., Kay, A, Kerrigan, M., and Parker, P. (2011). History of Britain and Ireland: The Definitive Visual Guide. London: Dorling Kindersley.
- Hechter, M. (1977). Internal Colonialism: The Celtic Fringe In British National Development, 1536-1966. Los Angeles: University of California Press.
- Hind, R. J. (1984) The Internal Colonial Concept. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 26(3), 543-568. www.jstor.org/stable/178555.
- Hufstader, J. (1999). Tongue of Water, Teeth of Stones: Northern Irish Poetry and Social Violence. Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky.
- Hadfield, P. and Lynda, H. (1984). Theatre: From Devlin to Sophocles. Fortnight, 208, 29. www.jstor.org/stable/25547569
- Jones, R. C. (1997). ‘Talking amongst Ourselves’: Language, Politics, and Sophocles on the Field Day Stage. International Journal of the Classical Tradition, 4(2), 232–246. www.jstor.org/stable/30222347
- McKittrick, D. and McVea, D. (2002). Making Sense of the Troubles: The Story of the Conflict in Northern Ireland. Chicago: New Amsterdam Books.
- Munck, R. (1992). The Making of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Journal of Contemporary History, 27(2), 211-229. www.jstor.org/stable/260908
- O'Brien, C. C. (1972). States of Ireland. New York: Pantheon Books.
- Osterhammel, J. (2004). Colonialism: A Theoretical Overview. Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers. Paulin, T. (1985). The Riot Act: A Version of Sophocles’ Antigone. London: Faber and Faber.
- Sanders, J. (2006). Adaptation and Appropriation. London: Routledge.
- Verdery, K. (1979). Internal Colonialism in Austria‐Hungary. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 2(3), 378-399. doi.org/10.1080/01419870.1979.9993274
- White, B. (1987). From Conflict to Violence: The Re-emergence of the IRA and the Loyalist Response. In John D. (Ed.). Northern Ireland: Background to the Conflict (pp. 181-96). New York: Syracuse University Press.
- Wroe, N. (22 Mar 2022). Literature's Loose Cannon. The Guardian, 25.10.2024, www. theguardian.com/books/2002/mar/23/poetry.academicexperts.
Abstract
Kuzey İrlanda tarihinde kötü şöhreti ile bilinen Troubles Dönemi, 1960’lardan 1998’e kadar sürmüş ve binlerce İrlandalının ölümüne sebep olmuştur. Troubles Döneminin temelinde bölgeyi neredeyse bin yıldır kuşatan birçok sosyal ve siyasi problem yatmaktadır. Bu problemler İngiltere -sonradan Britanya- ve İrlanda arasındaki çatışma çevresinde dönmüştür. Fakat Troubles Dönemi Britanya ve İrlanda çatışmasından farklı olarak İrlanda halkını birbirleri ile karşı karşıya getirmiş ve birbirlerini öldürmelerine neden olmuştur. Bu iç çatışma İrlanda'daki İngiliz müdahalesinden kaynaklanan köklü ve çeşitli sosyopolitik ayrışmalara dayanmaktadır. İç çatışmanın tarafları ise Katolik milliyetçiler ve birlikçi Ulster Protestanlarıdır. Troubles Dönemini ele alan birçok edebi eser ve film bulunmakla birlikte bu makalede Tom Paulin'in The Riot Act (1985) adlı oyunu üzerinden dönemin okuması yapılacaktır. Paulin'in oyunu Sofokles'in Antigone trajedisinin alternatif bir versiyonu olarak yazılmıştır ve orijinal metinden belirgin bir farklılık sunmamaktadır. Buna rağmen, The Riot Act eserinin ardındaki kültürel, politik ve tarihsel bağlamlar, eserin Kuzey İrlanda'nın problemlerini ve İrlanda kimliği meselesini ele alan politik bir alegori olduğunu işaret etmektedir. Paulin'in eserinin siyasi yönü ve döneme dair anlatımı ne kadar önem taşısa da Troubles Dönemine yeni bir bakış açısı sağlamak için gerekli olan akademik merakın gösterilmediği gözlemlenmiştir. Dolayısıyla, bu makale The Riot Act oyununun İrlanda insanları arasında yabancılaşma, kin ve düşmanlık başlatan ve Kuzey İrlanda’da istikrarsızlık yaratan Britanya iç-kolonyalizmini ve böl-yönet politikasını hicveden bir siyasi bir alegori olduğunu öne sürmektedir. Çalışma bu alegorik yapıyı tartışırken teorik temellerini Michael Hechter’ın iç-kolonyalizm teorisine ve Jurgen Osterhammel’in kolonyalizme olan teorik bakışına dayandırmaktadır.
Keywords
Troubles Dönemi Alegori Hiciv İç-kolonyalizm Kolonyalizm Milliyetçilik Tom Paulin The Riot Act
References
- Bortolotti, G. R. and Hutcheon, L. (2007). On the Origin of Adaptations: Rethinking Fidelity Discourse and “Success”: Biologically. New Literary History, 38(3), 443–458. www.jstor.org/stable/20058017.
- Chandra, B. (1977). Marx And Engels And Colonialism in Ireland. Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 38, 637–650. www.jstor.org/stable/44139126.
- Deane, S. (1999). Introduction. In T. Eagleton, F. Jameson, and E. Said (Eds.). Nationalism, Colonialism, And Literature (pp. 3-22). London: University of Minnesota Press.
- Féron, É. (2014). Prisoners of History? British-Irish Relations and the Conflict in Northern Ireland. European Review of International Studies, 1(3), 94–109. www.jstor.org/stable/26593314.
- Grant, R. G., Kay, A, Kerrigan, M., and Parker, P. (2011). History of Britain and Ireland: The Definitive Visual Guide. London: Dorling Kindersley.
- Hechter, M. (1977). Internal Colonialism: The Celtic Fringe In British National Development, 1536-1966. Los Angeles: University of California Press.
- Hind, R. J. (1984) The Internal Colonial Concept. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 26(3), 543-568. www.jstor.org/stable/178555.
- Hufstader, J. (1999). Tongue of Water, Teeth of Stones: Northern Irish Poetry and Social Violence. Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky.
- Hadfield, P. and Lynda, H. (1984). Theatre: From Devlin to Sophocles. Fortnight, 208, 29. www.jstor.org/stable/25547569
- Jones, R. C. (1997). ‘Talking amongst Ourselves’: Language, Politics, and Sophocles on the Field Day Stage. International Journal of the Classical Tradition, 4(2), 232–246. www.jstor.org/stable/30222347
- McKittrick, D. and McVea, D. (2002). Making Sense of the Troubles: The Story of the Conflict in Northern Ireland. Chicago: New Amsterdam Books.
- Munck, R. (1992). The Making of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Journal of Contemporary History, 27(2), 211-229. www.jstor.org/stable/260908
- O'Brien, C. C. (1972). States of Ireland. New York: Pantheon Books.
- Osterhammel, J. (2004). Colonialism: A Theoretical Overview. Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers. Paulin, T. (1985). The Riot Act: A Version of Sophocles’ Antigone. London: Faber and Faber.
- Sanders, J. (2006). Adaptation and Appropriation. London: Routledge.
- Verdery, K. (1979). Internal Colonialism in Austria‐Hungary. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 2(3), 378-399. doi.org/10.1080/01419870.1979.9993274
- White, B. (1987). From Conflict to Violence: The Re-emergence of the IRA and the Loyalist Response. In John D. (Ed.). Northern Ireland: Background to the Conflict (pp. 181-96). New York: Syracuse University Press.
- Wroe, N. (22 Mar 2022). Literature's Loose Cannon. The Guardian, 25.10.2024, www. theguardian.com/books/2002/mar/23/poetry.academicexperts.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | British and Irish Language, Literature and Culture, Contemporary Drama Studies, Culture, Representation and Identity |
| Journal Section | Research Article |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | June 25, 2025 |
| Submission Date | January 24, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | May 16, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025 Volume: 65 Issue: 1 |
Ankara University Journal of the Faculty of Languages and History-Geography is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).