Rennes - Master 1

Northern Irish Politics and Society
This course provides an overview of Northern Irish politics and society since the contested partition of the island of Ireland in 1921. It focuses on some of the major events in the region’s history, notably the civil rights movement of the Catholic/nationalist community in the 1960s, the 30-year violent conflict known as the Troubles, including Bloody Sunday, the republican hungerstrikes, and the 1998 peace deal (Good Friday Agreement). Despite the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent St Andrew’s Agreement of 2006, the two major communities or ‘traditions’ within Northern Ireland, nationalists (mainly Catholic) and unionists (mainly Protestant) continue to live in a largely polarised society: peace brokered at the elite level has not translated into a breakdown of segregation and a coming-together at grass-roots level. The impact of Brexit on Northern Irish politics and the economy will also be discussed. The course examines the interconnections between politics, identity and territory and will conclude by looking at the forces in favour of – and obstacles to – reunification of the 32 counties of Ireland.

Séminaire de Delphine Lemonnier-Texier et Sandrine Oriez
Début du séminaire : le 21 octobre 2022

The history of Ireland has been determined by the set of relationships entertained with the European continent and with its neighbour mainland Britain. This 12-hour lecture examines how the balance of strength between the English -and then British- Crown and the continental powers played a major part in the eventual colonisation of the island. The lecture will then develop on the period spanning from the early 19th century to the early 21st century, special attention will be paid to economic issues.

Cet espace cours vous donne accès à des ressources complémentaires.
Chaque enseignant·e pourra y déposer des documents.

M1S7 - “Gender and Society in Eighteenth-Century Britain”
Course description
This course will introduce students with the place of gender in eighteenth-century British society. The period from the Restoration to the Romantic era was marked by major economic, political, social and cultural transformations, which had a deep impact on the definition, construction and representation of gender roles in British society. Students will engage with key concepts and issues regarding gender and learn about the changing historically-determined constructions of gender across the period of the long-eighteenth century.
Through a wide range of primary sources, they will become familiar with various aspects of the everyday lives of eighteenth-century men and women (education, fashion, leisure, politics, etc.) as well as with emerging debates on gendered norms and practices (social performance, male hegemony and female agency). Through the readings, discussions and assignments in this course, students will also gain a deeper understanding of the traditions of women’s history and its relationship to histories of masculinity and gender.
Selected bibliography
 BARKER, Hannah & Elaine CHALUS (eds.), Gender in Eighteenth-century England: Roles, Representations and Responsibilities, London, New York: Longman, 1997.
 BUTLER, Judith, Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, 2nd (1999). New York and London: Routledge, 1990.
 CARTER, Philip, Men and the Emergence of Polite Society, Britain 1660-1800, London: Longman, 2001.
 COHEN, Michèle & Tim HITCHCOCK (eds.), English Masculinities 1660-1800. London & NY: Longman, 1999.
 FLETCHER, Anthony, Gender, Sex and Subordination in England, 1500-1800, London, 1987.
 HARVEY, Karen, The Little Republic: Masculinity and Domestic Authority in Eighteenth-Century Britain, Oxford University Press, 2012.
 SHOEMAKER, Robert B., Gender in English Society 1650-1850: The Emergence of Separate Spheres?, London: Longman, 1998.
 SCOTT, Joan W., “Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis”, American Historical Review 91 (1986): 1053–1075.
 VICINUS, Martha, Separate Spheres, Bloomington, 1974.
 VICKERY, Amanda, The Gentleman's Daughter. Women's Lives in Georgian England, New Haven-London, Yale University Press, 1998.

Ce cours est destiné aux MEEF1 (8 séances) et aux MEEF 2 (4 séances).

This course charts the development of Irish literature from the 18th to the early 20th century.
Through selected texts, it will address how authors using various literary genres (pamphlets,
fiction, poetry) address the emergence of the Irish nation and shape a national tale. Specifically,
it will examine how the wit and satire of Anglo-Irish literature (Swift) offers a critical insight
into blatant social injustices and develop strategies that counter censorship. It will move on to
examine the development of the “big house” novel of the early 19th century (Edgeworth) and
the motifs and varieties of the Irish gothic novel (Maturin). Finally, the study of selected poems
by W.B. Yeats will lead to an overview of the Irish Revival as Ireland moves into war, and
independence in the early 20th century.