Deirdre MacBride, Mitchell Institute PhD student, will host the last Fireside Chat of this Semester.  Deirdre will discuss her project which uses social memory theory to explore how the divided histories of 1916 reverberated and how they were remembered in post conflict Northern Ireland.  The case study will explore the 2016 commemorations and social memory of the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme in Northern Ireland, and will utilise the fiftieth commemorations in 1966 for broad historical background.  The links between ideas of social memory and expression of identity will be explored through analysis of various state actors, cultural and civil society organisations and groups and ‘guardians’ of social memory. The structural themes of sectarianism, gender, class, age and heritage will be utilised to probe the boundaries of social memory and to explore if adaptations to it arise from commemorative practices.

The Fireside Chat series is student-led and is organised by Mitchell Institute PhD students Allely Albert and Hanna Oberdorfer.  The “Fireside Chat” is a reference to American history and politics, and also acts as a tribute to Senator George J. Mitchell. 

The Fireside Chats allow both staff and students to casually present their research to the community in a social setting.  One of the key aims is to provide a platform to showcase the interdisciplinary research going on across the Institute and to enable networking for postgraduate students and researchers, at a range of career stages, across the Faculty and QUB. 

The events are free and all QUB staff and students are invited to attend.  Places are offered on a first-come-first served basis.  Light refreshments will be provided.