Contested Histories
‘History is the fruit of power, but power itself is never so transparent that its analysis becomes superfluous’. Michel-Rolph Trouillot, Silencing the Past, (1995)
Bringing together scholars from across a wide range of disciplines, the Contested Histories group is committed to fostering new and innovative research on the construction and mobilisation of competing narratives of the past. Whether it is in struggles over political, cultural, or epistemic authority, we consider historical narratives as a key site for the construction and contestation of power. For this reason, we are interested in exploring how canons and archives are constituted, how hegemonic visions of the past are articulated and propagated, and how counter-narratives emerge to challenge them.
Our research group aims to:
- Foster collaboration with colleagues within and beyond the university on the topic of ‘Contested Histories’.
- Provide a safe and supportive space for members to workshop concepts for grants and publications.
- Build a research culture and profile that can form the bedrock for international collaborative research projects.
- Intervene in academic and public discourse on questions of contested pasts and their presents.
- Promote and disseminate the work of members and associates as widely as possible so that our research gets the international recognition it deserves.
We encourage anyone with an interest in the broad theme of Contested History to join us as a member (colleagues based in Maynooth) or an associate (colleagues at other institutions). If you would like to participate in the group’s activities, please contact one of the group co-leads: Prof Dónal Hassett [email protected] or Dr Eoghan Moloney [email protected]