Feb. 21: Dean Robert White on "Terrorism in Ireland" (and his new book)

For the Indianapolis Committee on Foreign Relations dinner, IUPUI Dean of Liberal Arts Bob White will talk about "Terrorism in Ireland: If there's a peace process, why are they still killing each other?"

When: Tuesday February 21, cocktails at 5:45 PM, dinner at 6:30

Where: Woodstck Country Club

IUPUI Dean and Professor of Sociology Robert W. White will answer the question "If there's peace process in Ireland, why are they still killing each other?" through the eyes of one key player, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, a man called one of the last Irish Republicans. Since the mid-1950s, Ó Bradáigh has played a singular role in the Irish Republican Movement. He is the only person who has served as chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army, as president of the political party Sinn Féin, and to have been elected, as an abstentionist, to the Dublin parliament. Today, he is the most prominent and articulate spokesperson of those Irish Republicans who reject the peace process in Northern Ireland. His rejection is rooted in his analysis of Irish history and his belief that the peace process will not achieve peace. Instead it will support the continued partition of Ireland and result in continued, inevitable, conflict. Bob White is particularly well qualified to explain the struggle from Ó Brádaigh's perspective since Bob is the author of a brand new book, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh: The Life and Politics of an Irish Revolutionary, which draws on unprecedented access to the activities and records of Ó Brádaigh. Bob marshals these resources with extensive, carefully documented research spanning some twenty years to create an in-depth, engaging biography and exploration of modern Irish history.

Copies of Bob's book, which will be released February 2, will be available for purchase and autographing.

Bob’s other books are Provisional Irish Republicans: An Oral and Interpretive History (Greenwood Press, 1993), and Self, Identity and Social Movements (co-edited with Sheldon Stryker and Timothy J. Owens, University of Minnesota Press, 2000).

Want to prepare for Bob's talk? Buy his book, and bring it for him to autograph. Go to Google or Yahoo for recent news articles, and the BBC has an informative site on "The Search for Peace" in Northern Ireland.


If you want to join in some other discussions of US government tactics in the war on terrorism, you can check out events about human rights and terrorism on March 1, March 14, and April 12; plus you can hear the ACLU-Indiana's forum on whether our government should spy on Americans.

Dinner will be appropriate: Traditional Irish Lamb Stew, salad and Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheese Cake. For more information and to RSVP contact Courtenay Weldon at courtenayweldon@comcast.net

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