유럽통합의 진전과 아일랜드 민족정체성의 변화 - 인류학적 사례연구

Abstract

This study examines, based upon a case study in Nenagh, a small town in the Republic of Ireland, the changes in the Irish national identity stemming from the progress of the European integration. Thanks to participating in the European integration process, Irish people have obtained the opportunities to reinterpret their national identity, which hitherto had been interpreted solely in contradistinction to the English or British people. Thus, on the one hand, various attempts have been made to newly create the consciousness that the Irish have been, and are, a integral part of the European people, a thought which had hardly ever existed in the minds of the Irish. As a result, the recent years has seen the steady improvement in the level of Irish people"s general interests and knowledge vis-？-vis the continental European countries. On the other hand, various attempts have also been made to express and emphasize their identity as a nation with unique traditional cultural features which render the Irish distinct from other European nations. It is the latter aspects of the Irish national identity, which are being promoted in close relationship to the Irish tourism industry, that is more pronounced in contemporary Ireland. As a result, as can be seen from the revival of the popular interest in the traditional Irish music, dance, and above all, Irish language, Irish people"s pride in their unique cultural heritage has been considerably enhanced over the years since Ireland joined the EU. However, the anachronistic self-image of the Ireland as the anti-thesis of the urban-industrial society, which is being portrayed in many promotion attempts of Irish tourism to attract European tourists, poses a serious dilemma to the Irish national identity. In conclusion, one implication of this case study for the subsequent research on the cultural aspects of the European integration process is considered.