In Place and Non-Place - The Reconfiguration of Ireland, sociologists contemplate developments in Irish society by scrutinising an event or issue relevant to 2001 and 2002. The book takes us on a journey to locations such as Bull Island, Rathdowney, Rathoath, West Cork and Dublin’s O’Connell Street. It revisits events such as the state funeral of the ‘Mounjoy Ten’, the May Day protests by Reclaim The Streets and the tour of St Thérèse’s relics. It examines issues such as masculinity, consumer spending, immigration, public transport and violent assaults.
Place and Non-Place - The Reconfiguration of Ireland invites us to consider Ireland using the twin co-ordinates of place and non-place. A place is often linked to a particular feature that gives it a recognisable identity and value, for example a natural beauty spot. Other sites remain non-places unless something happens to put them on the map as places that people know and travel to. Similarly places can become non-places, for example streets that have been given over to traffic or that are deemed dangerous no-go areas. These ongoing reconfigurations have been captured in Place and Non-Place.
This valuable and accessible collection, volume four in the Irish Sociological Chronicles series, will appeal to any reader wishing to reflect on change in modern Ireland.