The Irish Student Movement As an Agent of Social Change: a Case Study Analysis of the Role Students Played in the Liberalisation of Sex and Sexuality in Public Policy
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The Irish student movement as an agent of social change: a case study analysis of the role students played in the liberalisation of sex and sexuality in public policy. Steve Conlon BA Thesis Submitted for the Award of Doctorate of Philosophy School of Communication Dublin City University Supervisor: Dr Mark O’Brien May 2016 Declaration I hereby certify that this material, which I now submit for assessment on the programme of study leading to the award of Doctorate of Philosophy is entirely my own work, and that I have exercised reasonable care to ensure that the work is original, and does not to the best of my knowledge breach any law of copyright, and has not been taken from the work of others save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my work. Signed: ______________________ ID No.: 58869651 Date: _____________ i ii Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor Dr Mark O’Brien, a tremendous advocate and mentor whom I have had the privilege of working with. His foresight and patience were tested throughout this project and yet he provided all the necessary guidance and independence to see this work to the end. I must acknowledge too, Prof. Brian MacCraith, president of DCU, for his support towards the research. He recognised that it was both valuable and important, and he forever will have my appreciation. I extend my thanks also to Gary Redmond, former president of USI, for facilitating the donation of the USI archive to my research project and to USI itself for agreeing to the donation. I would also like to thank USI general manager Ben Archibald and USI staff over the years, all of whom have assisted with the collation of archive material. Without this donation this thesis would have been devoid of its beautifully rich content. To all those who participated in interviews or donated material I thank you for your time, patience and support. Your contribution was vital in completing this work. To my family, which includes my friends, too many to name I express my love and gratitude – Kaleo Fernandes who made sure my PhD was my priority despite my insistence that every little thing else should be, Alan Armstrong, a great friend and confidante and his brother Darren who greatly assisted in collating material in the archive, and John Masterson and Jeff Rockett, two friends who appreciated my absence, put up with all the dramas associated with my life, provided hot dinners and a full wine glass (for medicinal purposes) without question or second thought: you are two of the greatest friends one can have. I extend my gratitude to Sean Rooney and Sean Cassidy, who encouraged me throughout the darkest of times and provided a soundboard for ideas and rants. To Derek Zonaro, Dave Cochrane, Peadar Hayes, Jon Berman, John Murphy, Katie Morrisroe, Emma Murphy, John Hickey all of whom were there to encourage, issue reality checks or provide assistance I offer my appreciation. iii To my dear friend John McGuirk, without whom this PhD would never have happened, a debt of gratitude to you I owe that can never be repaid. To my colleagues in The Irish Times who spread the word of my research and gathered interviewees and told stories of their own time in college I express my gratitude. I am indebted to those who, without complaint, gave up their weekends so I could take leave in the final hurdles. I acknowledge with thanks the financial support received from the School of Communications, the DCU Research Fund and the accommodation bursary received at DCU at the start of the research. Finally, to student activists and leaders wherever you are I dedicate this work. Your passion to improve the world and fight injustice is an inspiration and it has been an honour to be able to, in a very humble way tell your story. iv Table of Contents Declaration ...................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... v List of Figures and Tables .............................................................................................. xi Acronyms and organisations ....................................................................................... xiii Abstract ...................................................................................................................... xvii Chapter 1 Introduction................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 Student movements, student activism and the public sphere ................... 13 2.1 Introduction........................................................................................................... 15 2.2 The ‘student condition’ ......................................................................................... 15 2.3 The Free State and the education system ............................................................ 17 2.4 The widening of access to higher education......................................................... 19 2.5 Irish youth culture ................................................................................................. 28 2.6 What is student activism? ..................................................................................... 30 2.6.1 Characteristics of student activists ................................................................ 31 2.7 Student activists, intellectualism and the role of the university .......................... 36 2.8 Marginal elites ....................................................................................................... 41 2.8.1 Some characteristics of students as marginal elites ...................................... 43 2.9 The ‘student movement’ as an actor in the public sphere ................................... 44 2.10 Students and the public sphere .......................................................................... 47 2.11 The student movement – a social movement? .................................................. 50 2.12 A temporal duality of influence in the public sphere ......................................... 55 2.13 Towards a typology of the Irish Student Movement .......................................... 56 2.14 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 62 Chapter 3 Methodology ............................................................................................... 65 3.1 Research objective ................................................................................................ 67 3.2 Sources .................................................................................................................. 68 3.3 Scope of the research............................................................................................ 69 3.4 Limitations of research.......................................................................................... 69 3.5 Bias, objectivity and ethical implications .............................................................. 70 3.5.1 Honesty and objectivity.................................................................................. 71 3.5.2 Integrity and confidentiality........................................................................... 71 3.5.3 Responsible publication and social responsibility ......................................... 72 3.5.4 Respect for colleagues, individuals and participants ..................................... 72 v vi 3.5.5 Legality and defamation................................................................................. 72 3.6.6 Author’s note on bias and objectivity ............................................................ 73 3.6 Case studies ........................................................................................................... 73 3.6.1 Interviews ....................................................................................................... 76 3.7 Evolution of the research ...................................................................................... 79 3.8 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 79 Chapter 4 The origins of the Irish student movement and some early campaigns..... 81 4.1 Introduction........................................................................................................... 83 4.2 The early Anti-Apartheid campaign ...................................................................... 89 4.3 Student travel programme.................................................................................... 95 4.4 Northern Ireland and civil rights ......................................................................... 100 4.5 The gentle revolution and the Carysfort dispute ................................................ 108 4.5.1 The ‘Gentle Revolution’................................................................................ 109 4.5.2 The Carysfort Dispute................................................................................... 112 4.6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 119 Chapter 5 Introduction to and context of the case studies ......................................