From the 'Troubles' to Trumpism - by Stephen Watt (Hardcover)

About the Book

From the 'Troubles' to Trumpism: Ireland and America, 1960-2023 is a history inspired by contemporary Irish literature and also an op-ed that identifies parallels between the socio-economic causes of conflict in Northern Ireland and one possible outcome of Trumpism in contemporary America.

Book Synopsis

From the 'Troubles' to Trumpism: Ireland and America, 1960-2023 is a history inspired by contemporary Irish literature and also an op-ed that identifies parallels between the socio-economic causes of conflict in Northern Ireland and one possible outcome of Trumpism in contemporary America.

Review Quotes

"Deeply researched and written in an incisive, witty style, this is an important book, cutting a swathe through the past fifty years of Irish and North American history. Its brilliance and originality lie in the meaningful connections it makes between the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the rise of Donald Trump." -Anthony Roche, Professor Emeritus, School of English, Drama and Film, University College Dublin, Ireland.

"President Kennedy famously said that the United States and Ireland were 'divided by distance, but united by history.' Professor Watt effectively argues that the countries are united primarily by a history of tribal division. In his scrupulously researched study, the devastating violence of Ireland's internecine past serves as a likely portent of America's future. An important thesis and a compelling read." -Joseph Valente, Distinguished Professor, University of Buffalo, USA.

"Stephen Watt's new book is an original and elegant exploration of the shifting relationship between Ireland and America in the years from JFK to Donald Trump. Blending political and cultural analyses, Watt considers how these two countries influence and explain each other-showing how Ireland's troubled past might offer important lessons about America's future." -Patrick Lonergan, University of Galway, Ireland.

"To comprehend Trumpism, we need to understand theatre and history. There is no better guide than Stephen Watt, long renowned as a brilliant reader of the dramas of Irish and American history. Ireland once looked to America as the future; Watt shows that America's future is rapidly resembling Ireland's past." -John Brannigan, University College Dublin, Ireland.

"Watt interweaves an incisive account of bipartisan American political engagement with Ireland since 1960, epitomized by efforts to help end the Troubles, with provocative interchapters drawing parallels between the recent Northern Irish past and an increasingly polarized American future to suggest that the United States may be in for some 'Troubles' of its own." -Marilynn Richtarik, Georgia State University, USA.

NBN Podcast

About the Author

Stephen Watt is Provost Professor of English Emeritus and Former Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.