UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Revolutionary Memories: Historical Subjectivity and Heritage Activism in Dublin Ireland A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology by Emily Anne Lucitt 2019 Ó Copyright by Emily Anne Lucitt 2019 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Revolutionary Memories: Historical Subjectivity and Heritage Activism in Dublin Ireland by Emily Anne Lucitt Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology University of California, Los Angeles, 2019 Professor Douglas W. Hollan, Chair This dissertation explores the theoretical concept of “historical subjectivity” in anthropology, which focuses on how individuals consider themselves as part of an ongoing historical narrative that extends from the past, into the present, and will be remembered in the future. This research was conducted through a case study of the ways in which activists involved with the Save Moore Street campaign in Dublin, Ireland (which revolves around saving historically significant building from being re-developed into a contemporary shopping center) invoke historical events, empathize with historical figures, and imagine how their city, and their actions, will be viewed by people in the future. Methods used are ethnographic: participant observation and in-depth interviews, and archival research (using both primary and secondary sources). The dissertation is composed of three primary standalone chapters and two sub- chapters. The Prelude sets the ethnographic present: primarily 2016 in Dublin, as the country celebrates the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, a seminal event in Ireland’s struggle for ii independence from Great Britain. Chapter 1 explores how activists use satire and invoke historical “ghosts” to appeal to the public to support their campaign, which is firmly rooted in the present state of economic uncertainty post-financial collapse. Chapter 2 introduces the idea of “historical empathy,” an idea long used by educators but less common among anthropologists. Here, I show how we in the present can empathize witH historical figures through points of connection: family lineage, using similar space, and even watching their actions on film, which can meaningfully affect us and motivate our actions in the present and for the future. The Ethnographic Interlude continues this discussion with a short section on ideas of respect for historical figures in a commemorative setting. Finally, Chapter 3 focuses on how activists and developers imagine the future according to ethical and economic goals, which I argue are not entirely antithetical in their goals of urban revitalization. iii The dissertation of Emily Anne Lucitt is approved. C. Jason Throop Mariko Tamanoi Amy Woodson-Boulton Douglas W. Hollan, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2019 iv This dissertation is dedicated to the participants of the Save Moore Street campaign, for their tireless work and for welcoming me into their community. v Table of Contents Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... viii Commonly Used Acronyms ........................................................................................................... ix Modern Irish Political Parties .......................................................................................................... x Biographical SketcH ........................................................................................................................ xi Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Prelude: The Centenary Scene ....................................................................................................... 27 Chapter 1: Images of the Present ................................................................................................... 40 Chapter 2: Empathizing with Irish Revolutionaries ...................................................................... 76 Ethnographic Interlude: Respect and State Recognition ............................................................. 124 Chapter 3: Futures of Moore Street ............................................................................................. 129 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 179 Appendix A: “800 years of oppression:” (the complex history of BritisH-Irish relations, 1169- 1998) ............................................................................................................................................ 184 Appendix B: Timelines ................................................................................................................ 216 Appendix C: Quantification of Data ............................................................................................ 223 Works CiteD ................................................................................................................................. 225 vi List of Figures and Illustrations Figure 1: photo by author, June 2016 .............................................................................................. 9 Figure 2: photo taken by author, September 2016 ........................................................................ 10 Figure 3: photo taken by author, December 2017 ......................................................................... 11 Figure 4: photo taken by author, June 2018 .................................................................................. 12 Figure 5: photo of Michael Collins and Harry Boland on GAA pitch, photo of reproduction by author ............................................................................................................................................. 91 Figure 6: Carmel's Photo Wall, photo by author ......................................................................... 101 Figure 7: Carmel's other photo wall, photo by author ................................................................. 102 Figure 8: Close up of set of photos of Harry Boland, photo by author ....................................... 103 Figure 9: historical provinces of Ireland (photo found on Wikipedia Commons) ...................... 185 vii Acknowledgements I would like to first and foremost thank my doctoral committee members, Jason Throop, Mariko Tamanoi, Amy Woodson-Boulton, and especially my committee chair, Doug Hollan. I would also like to thank my colleagues from the UCLA Department of Anthropology MMAC seminar group, who have listened to multiple versions of parts of this research over the years and offered their thoughtful feedback, and also Anne Gilliland, who has been a source of inspiration and allowed me to use sections from the Prelude here (first developed as a final paper for her Information Studies course on Archives, Records, and Memory). Thank you to tHe members of the American Conference for Irish Studies, who have welcomed me into their community and provided a wonderful community of thought exchange. Sections of Chapter 2 also appear, with some modification, in a chapter from an edited volume in collaboration with ACIS-West members, currently in press with Cambridge University Press. I would like to express my gratitude to the SPA/Lemelson Foundation, UCLA Graduate Division, UCLA Department of Anthropology, and UCLA Center for European and Russian Studies for their generous financial support of this project throughout the years. Finally, I offer my sincere thanks to my patient and supportive family and friends: my parents, Anne and Paul Lucitt, my sister Kathleen Lucitt, and every member of my large and wonderful IrisH- and German-American family. I also thank my partner Brendan O’Connor for his love and encouragement, and his parents, Mary O’Connor and Seamus O’Connor, who hosted me during my fieldwork and shared their stories with me. I also thank all of the dogs and cats who have provided emotional support throughout my graduate career. Go raibh míle maith agaibh. viii Commonly Used Acronyms • IRB – Irish Republican Brotherhood; the secret organization that planned uprisings in favor of an Irish republic, especially the 1916 Rising. (Also called Fenians.) • ICA – Irish Citizen Army; the militia founded during the 1913 Lockout in Dublin, led by James Connolly, to protect striking workers and later participants in the 1916 Rising • GPO – General Post Office; the headquarters for the Irish postal system and the Irish rebels during the 1916 Rising • IRA – Irish Republican Army; the “irregular” militia that fought a guerilla campaign against the British during the War of Independence, and then against the Irish Free State during the Civil War, in favor of a full republic and nothing less. After the Civil War, some continued their campaign for Irish unity mostly along the border and in the North. Today, they are widely considered a terrorist organization, and any links to the “old IRA” of the 1920s are tenuous. • NAMA – National Asset Management Agency; the Irish state’s “bad bank,” established in 2009 to buy distressed property loans from developers and sell them for a state profit, widely considered to be corrupt and subject to multiple scandals (see Connolly 2017). • SMS – Save Moore Street; the general network of campaign groups opposed to the demolition and retail-focused redevelopment of Moore Street.