The latter half of the 20th century in Ireland has proven to be a crucial period in the construction of Irish society as we recognise it today. Landmark economic and social events such as the First Programme for Economic Expansion (1958), amendments to the Censorship of Publications Act (1967), and Ireland’s entry into the EEC in 1973 heralded key moments of modernisation on the island: the legalisation of homosexuality in the north in 1982 and in the south in 1993, divorce in the south in 1995, as well as same-sex marriage in the south in 2015 and in the north in 2020. Meanwhile, economic growth, the Northern Irish Conflict, and the peace talks increased Ireland’s visibility on the world stage.
Individual and national development is, of course, not solely a forward moving trajectory. The aim of the international symposium at the University of Wuppertal is to approach the mutual influence of social transformation and individual development on the island of Ireland from 1950 to the present day through in-depth analyses of fictional and non-fictional narratives in multiple genres and media. The well-established tradition of narrative research (represented in Wuppertal by the Center of Narrative Research) will provide the transdisciplinary context for the discussions. By focusing on the span 1950-2025, the symposium will address obvious gaps in diachronic research across literary and non-literary Irish and Northern Irish narratives.
One of the co-organisers of the symposium is Dr. Loic Wright, the “Visiting Professor in Irish Studies” who currently teaches and researches at the University of Wuppertal (1 Oct. 2025 to 30 March 2026). The Travelling Visiting Professor in Irish Studies is a scheme funded predominantly by the Irish Government (Emigrant Support Programme: Irish Studies) and co-funded by the University of Wuppertal.
Registration: sekrennhak@uni-wuppertal.de
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