Laura Dooley

The migration from one country to another can be conceived of as many things: adventurous, exciting, liberating and refreshing. However, it can also be associated with loneliness, grief, apprehension and fear. Fear of the unknown has long been associated with the ‘Other’ but what happens when you become that ‘Other’? Using the theory of Imagology and the notions of the auto-image and the hetero-image, this paper will examine the portrayal of an Eastern European as ‘Other’ in an Irish Young-Adult novel, The Weight of Water. The analysis will focus on the representation of the Polish character’s construction of self-image and the impact being configured as ‘Other’ has on that image. The author’s use of stereotypes of national character will also be explored.

From the time of the bards, to the Literary Revival and beyond, Irish writers have had a preoccupation with Irish identity.  Writers, as cultural conduits of their time, have marked the evolution of Irish society and character. Irish Studies scholars have in turn studied these representations. A review of contemporary Irish society reveals further development. Over the past two decades, there has been a change in the demographic of Irish society as a result of large scale immigration. The 2011 Census demonstrated that non-Irish nationals make up 12% of the population. Increasing diversity has become apparent in schools and communities but what about in literature? Are Irish authors embracing multiculturalism in their writing, and if so, how is it being represented?

Broadening the horizons of Irish Studies to include the inhabitants of “The New Ireland”, this paper will seek to answer these questions with a focus on Irish Young-Adult Fiction. This genre merits particular attention as Young-Adult fiction is often used in education.

Using the Comparative Literature theory of Imagology (the study of literary representations of national character), this paper will investigate how “Others” have been represented in three Young-Adult fiction texts, Aubrey Flegg’s  The Cinnamon Tree, Roddy Doyle’s “Black Hoodie” from his collection The Deportees, and Sarah Crossan’s The Weight of Water. Drawing from on-going research in Dublin schools, second-level students’ perceptions of these portrayals will also be discussed.

"Over the past two decades, there has been a change in the demographic of Irish society as a result of large scale immigration. In 2006 the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment published guidelines for intercultural education in primary and post-primary schools.  These guidelines outline the benefits of intercultural education for students and the important role that schools play in it. However, these guidelines have been criticised as they have not been accompanied by any in-service training and do not seek to alter the curriculum. Recent research indicates that the guidelines have not been implemented and budget cuts to the education sector mean that previous recommendations to provide teachers with in-service training on interculturalism are unlikely to be met. At a time when increasing diversity in Irish classrooms is the norm, attention to interculturalism should be a priority. However, resources and support in this area are not forthcoming. This presentation outlines an approach to intercultural teaching and learning that highlights the value of using children’s literature.
Based on PhD research with second-level students in Dublin schools, the presentation will demonstrate how children’s literature can be used to enhance intercultural education. Three children’s literature texts will be presented. The theory of Imagology will also be introduced and employed in the examination of the texts. Initial results of the study, entitled Comparing “Others”: An Investigation into the representation of immigrants in Irish texts and its impact on the education of second level students in Ireland, and student responses to the texts, will also be discussed.
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Irish society has become increasingly multicultural over the past decade and this is reflected in our classrooms. While educational policy has acknowledged this change it has made little impact on the curriculum at second level. Through the implementation of an Intercultural module that incorporates texts which feature immigrant characters, my research investigates Transition Year students’ attitudes towards immigrants and intercultural education. Over the course of five weeks, students are invited to engage with the issues of immigration, multiculturalism and racism and share their opinions. In this paper, I will share some of my initial findings and highlight how educational policy with regard to Intercultural education at second level could be amended.

Over the past two decades, there has been a change in the demographic of Irish society as a result of large scale immigration. While recent educational policy has acknowledged this change, it has had little real impact on the curriculum taught at second level. Recent policy and guidelines with regard to Intercultural education have been criticised as they have not been accompanied by any in-service training and do not provide practical resources for teachers. With the latest statistics from the 2011 Census revealing that 12% of the population are non-Irish nationals, my research seeks to investigate Transition Year students’ attitudes towards immigrants and intercultural education. Through the implementation of an Intercultural module that incorporates texts which feature immigrant characters, students are invited to discuss issues of immigration, multiculturalism and racism and to share their opinions about the level of cultural diversity inherent in their day to day school experience. In this paper I will present some of my initial findings and highlight how future educational policy could be amended to be more effective in this area.

Over the past two decades, there has been a change in the demographic of Irish society as a result of large scale immigration. In 2006 the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment published guidelines for intercultural education in post-primary schools.  These guidelines outline the benefits of intercultural education for students and the important role that schools play in it. However, these guidelines have been criticised as they have not been accompanied by any in-service training and do not seek to alter the curriculum. Recent research indicates that the guidelines have not been implemented and budget cuts to the education sector mean that previous recommendations to provide teachers with in-service training on interculturalism are unlikely to be met. The reduction in provision of English as an Additional Language hours will also impact on the level of intercultural education in schools as the current research indicates that the degree to which interculturalism is implemented in the classroom is largely down to individual teachers and that teachers with experience teaching EAL are more likely to incorporate intercultural practices in their mainstream classroom than teachers with no experience of working with students of immigrant backgrounds in this way. In 2010 the Department of Education and Skills in association with the Office for the Minister of Integration published its Intercultural Education Strategy for the years 2010- 2015. This document states that radical change is not the focus. This paper will review and critique the current policy in place with regard to Intercultural education at second level, argue the importance of an Intercultural approach to education and, with reference to my own research, suggest a way that new policy can be formulated that will ensure its implementation.

This workshop will address initial findings arising from a doctoral research study entitled Comparing “Others”: An investigation into the representation of immigrants in Irish texts and its impact
on the education of second level students in the Republic of Ireland.

This research study involves investigating the attitudes of second level students in Dublin schools towards immigrants and intercultural education. As part of her research, Laura Dooley has designed a six week module for Transition Year students. The module incorporates four different texts which feature immigrant characters. It aims to increase students' critical analysis skills and encourages them to think about the issues of racism, interculturalism and social responsibility.

The workshop will feature texts used in her module and highlight some ways Intercultural teaching and learning can be enhanced in the mainstream English and EAL classrooms.

Participants will:
• be introduced to the theory of Imagology (the study of stereotypes in literature) and discover
how it can be used as a tool to help students critically analyse texts
• be presented with practical advice and tips on how to promote Intercultural learning
• receive information about useful resources and teaching activities