About the Project

PAPIME PE400219 “Contemporary Anglo-Irish Literature, XX and XXI Centuries” is an academic project based at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and sponsored by DGAPA-UNAM, with the support of the School of Philosophy and Literature-UNAM, and the Embassy of Ireland in Mexico. The aim of this project is to promote research and the design of teaching materials related to contemporary Anglo-Irish literature. In particular, this endeavour focuses on the study of Irish literature written in English by writers from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and those in the Irish diaspora, as exile (compulsory or self-imposed) has loomed over the Irish literary imagination for centuries.

Prior to the 20th century and still under British colonial rule, Anglo-Irish literature was widely read though not necessarily from the perspective of a local tradition or the complex network of influences, national and otherwise, that was at work within its articulation. Apart from the tensions and ambivalences triggered by its troubling assimilation to a British canon, there were other ingredients that contributed to its hybridity. For instance, the decision made by some writers, particularly in the first half of the last century, to write in other languages (besides Irish or English) as a form of aesthetic experimentation or as a vehicle to explore identity from a different or alien linguistic framework. This is one of the reasons why our project promotes an ever-expanding approach to notions on Irishness, welcomes a comparative perspective when it comes to the analysis of diverse genres and media, and equally celebrates the study of the mutual artistic influences and exchanges Irish writing has established with other literary traditions, including those from the Spanish speaking world.

This webpage has been conceived as one of the aids for the teaching, research and promotion of contemporary Anglo-Irish literature, as it provides free access to the materials designed by the permanent members of our project, as well as by academics, researchers, artists, grantees and students who have been invited to take part in it. It is also one of our aims to provide academic advice for readers to locate and benefit from materials that have been designed by other institutions, national and international, where the prolific Anglo-Irish literary legacy is also studied. Finally, this digital platform is also an instrument to make available information related to the diverse activities organised by the members of the project, such as conferences, seminars and book launches, among others.

Dra. Aurora Piñeiro (Head of Project)