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CompleteMartialArts.com - How the Irish Became White

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Manufacturer: Routledge

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.049162
EAN: 9780415918251
ISBN: 0415918251
Label: Routledge
Manufacturer: Routledge
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 248
Publication Date: 1996-08-21
Publisher: Routledge
Studio: Routledge

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Editorial Reviews:

Ignatiev traces the tattered history of Irish and African-American relations, revealing how the Irish used labor unions, the Catholic Church and the Democratic party to succeed in American.

Focusing on how the Irish were assimilated as "whites" in America, Noel Ignatiev uncovers the roots of conflict between Irish-Americans and African-Americans and draws a powerful connection between the embracing of white supremacy and Irish "success" in 19th century American society. Ignatiev traces the tattered history of Irish and African-American relations, revealing how the Irish used labor unions, the Catholic Church and the Democratic party to help gain and secure their newly found place in the White Republic.

Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: A thought provoking, brilliant book
Comment: One of the best works of history on race in America ever written. This book will reward the attentive reader with example after example of how the Irish altered their social position by acquiring "white privilege" long before the word was even known. It dovetails very nicely with the broader and equally brilliant Race: the Birth of An Idea in the West by Ivan Hannaford. Hannaford looks at the 30,000 foot level and the four century perspective. Ignatiev examines one nation, and the history of one ethnic group. Do not be fooled by the ignorant reviewers who did not understand Ignatiev's central thesis. This is a book worth pondering.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Unfavorable
Comment: The author fails to provide a coherent narrative for his thesis. He gets bogged down in extraneous detail, but fails to provide the context the reader needs to understand the subject.

Customer Rating:

Summary: neither racist nor about the irish becoming white
Comment: While he choses an eye-catching title, his book is actually a history of the Irish in Philadelphia. This history conveniently touches on issues of ethnicity on occasion, but it's clearly not his original subject. (Though I bet he chose this title to make more money, which he probably is, given the hysterics being written in reviews here).

If you're really looking for a book on this topic, I would recommend reading his afterward and trying a few of the books listed there.

Customer Rating:

Summary: good condition and timely delivery
Comment: I received the book in great condition and it came in the mail in a timely fashion.

Customer Rating:

Summary: A challenging but worthwhile read
Comment: This is a hard book to read, not because of any overdose of erudition or inaccessibility of the text, but due to the emotional reaction it can evoke from the reader. (This is easily demonstrated by a look at the other reviews.) If one has Irish ancestry, it's hard not to take personally. However, a historical retrospective of the social perceptions of Irish-Americans over the last 150 years is well worth reading. The shift in Irish-American image over time is fascinating; it's pleasing to see a group pull themselves out of disfavor and disturbing to see it happen at the expense of others in similar disfavor. Ignatiev illustrates the context of this perception shift well, with illustrative examples from events and news sources of the time. The book is moderately well documented, allowing the reader to search out further references at will. While there are a few points where the author oversimplifies for length and cohesiveness of narrative, overall it's an interesting read, and a reasonable treatment of a painful and complicated issue.

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