Irish Orientalism

We explore Leopold Bloom’s connection to the ancient Phoenicians.

Topic covered in this episode include: social hierarchies in Ireland, Dubliners v. culchies, Leopold Bloom’s fascination with the Orient, how imperial British culture informs Bloom’s worldview, whether or not some people in Irish society benefited from colonialism, the Celtic Revival movement, how the Revivalist applied an Orientalist worldview to the West of Ireland, the view that the first settlers of Ireland came from the Near East, The Book of Invasions, the adventures of the Milesians on their way to ancient Ireland, how DNA has changed the way we see ancient Ireland, the belief that the Irish descended from the ancient Phoenicians, the belief that Ireland was Calypso’s island in The Odyssey, Charles Vallancey’s belief that the Irish language came from Phoenicia, Irish Orientalism, the cultural function of an Irish connection to the East, Orientalism as a tool for nationalism, the inequality and racial purity of Revivalism, James Joyce’s view on Irish Orientalism, what an Irish-Phoenician connection adds to the character of Leopold Bloom, and how a connection to ancient Phoenicia allows for a more inclusive view of Ireland.

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Is Leopold Bloom Phoenician?

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