What the 'White Irish Slaves' Meme Tells Us About Identity Politics

http://www.counterpunch.org/2019/04/22/what-the-white-irish-slaves-meme-tells-us-about-identity-politics/
Date Written:  2019-04-22
Publisher:  Counterpunch
Year Published:  2019
Resource Type:  Article
Cx Number:  CX23713

In setting out to rebut narratives of 'Irish Slaves' the left has often downplayed the history of Irish oppression.

Abstract: 
--

Excerpt:

Liam Hogan's research has been important in distinguishing between the indentured servitude suffered by the Irish during the mid-seventeenth century and the chattel slavery suffered by Africans over a greater time span.

However, strangely, in response to Woods' post, one can witness the emergence of a counter-myth whereby the Irish did not suffer at all during the transportations which occurred in the wake of Oliver Cromwell’s conquest. Others even seem to suggest that no such thing ever occurred in Ireland....

Identity politics is not an inherently bad thing in of and of itself. As an Irish speaker and a person who is part of a minority language community, I recognize the importance of more rights and recognition – and less denigration – of any marginalized group...

The "White Irish Slaves" meme and myth needed to be debunked in order to combat contemporary neo-fascism and to set the historical record straight. But, now, one wonders, if it could have been debunked in a way that did not minimize the plight of the Irish who were initially transported?