Darien Gandia

    Sociology

    Executive Assistant & Postgraduate Research Student

    TSI Building
    2nd Floor
    2.11
    (01) 708 3594

    About

    Before joining Maynooth University, I worked in Study Abroad and the President's Office at University College Dublin. I also worked for a number of years at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, the Consulate General of Ireland in New York, and IDA Ireland.

    In 2012, I obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English and Sociology from Maynooth University followed by a Masters of Social Science in Sociology from University College Dublin in 2014.

    Research

    PhD thesis title: A sociological investigation of contemporary undocumented Irish immigrants in New York City

    Supervisors: Professor Mary P. Corcoran and Dr Pauline Cullen

    This PhD research project aims to: explore post 9/11 changes in immigration control and their intensification in the USA during Donald Trump’s presidency; develop and offer an analysis of the migration experience by comparing the world of undocumented Irish immigrants in the last quarter of the 20th century to the first quarter of the 21st century; trace discourses around ‘Irishness,’ exploring how Irish identity and practices are expressed and claimed by undocumented immigrants living in NYC and used in the mediation of their everyday lives. 

    The research draws upon well-established literature across multi-disciplinary fields. Using qualitative research methods, a grounded theory approach will be used. 

    This research can provide further insight on concepts of diaspora and transnationalism, and deepen our understanding of the nature of Irish identity and how it is evolving, transforming, and connecting across time and global space. It may also draw attention to intersectional disparities.