The Social Construction of 'Evil' in Ireland: 1860-2020

Project start and end dates

2020-2025

Research team members

PI: Dr Ciara Molloy

Background and aims of the project

This research seeks to investigate the nature, extent and impact of the concept of evil in an Irish context during the period 1860 to 2020 through the lens of newspaper articles, folklore material and parliamentary debates. It adopts a broad and exploratory approach to scope out the potentialities of this under-researched area in an Irish context. It is premised on the following research questions:

In terms of the nature of evil - are there different gradations of evil? What exactly does the term evil refer to? What are the perceived causes of and prescribed remedies for evil? 

Regarding the extent of evil - how frequently is the term ‘evil’ used? What impact if any do factors such as gender, class and geography have on its usage? To what degree is there consensus over the usage of this term? 

With reference to the impact of evil - who applies the term ‘evil’ and for what purpose? Who benefits and who loses from such an application? What types of legacies, if any, are imparted by evil?
 

Methods

Archival research