A way of life that once encompassed most of humanity is vanishing in one of the greatest transformations of our time: the eclipse of the rural world by the urban.

In his new history of peasantry, Patrick Joyce tells the story of this lost world and its people. In contrast to the usual insulting stereotypes, we discover a rich and complex culture: traditions, songs, celebrations and revolts, across Europe from the plains of Poland to the farmsteads and villages of Italy and Ireland, through the 19th century to the present. Into this passionate history Joyce weaves remarkable individual stories, including those of his own Irish family, and looks at how peasant life has been remembered - and misremembered - in contemporary culture. Remembering Peasants is published by Penguin Books (2024).

Patrick Joyce is Emeritus Professor of History at Manchester University, and one of the leading social historians of his generation. He has long been a radical and influential voice in debates on the politics and future of social and cultural history. Joyce has held visiting professorships and fellowships at TCD, UC Berkeley, LSE, and elsewhere. His most recent book is a memoir of growing up to Irish parents in London, Going to My Father's House (2021), examining questions of immigration and home.

This event will be both in-person in the Irish Studies Seminar Room and online via MS Teams. All welcome in-person or online – register via Eventbrite