Concourse: Irish

Saturday, January 6, 2024

Call for Articles - Shaw and Ireland- SHAW: The Journal of Bernard Shaw Studies

SHAW 46.1 (June 2026): SHAW AND IRELAND

In an “interview” in The Evening Sun, 9 December 1911, Bernard Shaw remarked that Ireland “ . . . is producing serious men — not merely Irishmen, you understand, for an Irishman is only a parochial man after all, but men in the fullest international as well as the national sense — the wide human sense.” Bernard Shaw considered himself one of those same “international Irishmen,” though his native identity and strong connection to his homeland was often overshadowed by his international outlook. Moreover, Shaw’s opposition to violence and abhorrence of nationalism often put him at odds with those fighting for Irish Independence. While Shaw frequently used the world stage to comment on Ireland and the Irish, many of his peers and critics have misinterpreted Shaw’s global views and tongue-in-cheek satiric mode as an indication that he was anti-Ireland or at least, indifferent to his homeland and his birthright. Thankfully, Bernard Shaw’s Irish identity has been firmly re-established in the last fifteen years both in the field of Shaw Studies and Irish Revivalist Studies. Peter Gahan’s Bernard Shaw and the Irish Literary Tradition (2010) and Audrey McNamara’s Bernard Shaw: Reimagining Women and Ireland 1892–1914 (2023) bookend more than a decade’s long campaign to restore Shaw to his rightful place within the Irish Dramatic Canon. As is the case with Shaw, though, there is always more to say on the subject. This special issue will celebrate Shaw’s relationship to Ireland and his Irish identity through his marked international perspective. We welcome articles on any aspect of Shaw’s international perspective, especially those which speak to his interest in identity, gender, feminism, socialism, nationalism, and internationalism. Please submit essays by 1 March 2025. Inquiries and proposals should be directed to guest co-editors Audrey McNamara bernardshawindublin@gmail.com and Justine Zapin justine.zapin@gmail.com.

SHAW: The Journal of Bernard Shaw Studies is the official publication of the International Shaw Society, which seeks to “provide a means for those interested in the life, times, works, and career of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and his circle to organize their activities and interests, exchange information and ideas, and promote an interest in Shaw worldwide.”