2019 | Irish Slaves in America: Myths, History, and the Problems of Social Media

Recorded October 1, 2019. The Trinity Long Room Hub Annual
Humanities Horizons Lecture for 2019 delivered by Anthea Butler,
Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies at
the University of Pennsylvania and Graduate Chair of Religious
Studies. Stories of Irish slavery on Facebook, Twitter and other
platforms abound as both history and conspiracy theories that
obscure the actual history of Irish indentured servitude and Black
chattel slavery in America. These readings of history promoted by
conspiracy theorists on social media platforms serve another
purpose: to support white nationalist beliefs, oppose immigration,
and even to denigrate religious traditions. For scholars not
attuned to these conspiracy theories, these are trying times that
put the teaching of history in tension with students, colleagues,
religious institutions, and the state. Professor Butler's lecture
will engage these urgent issues, paying special attention to the
relationship between Ireland and America on race, immigration, and
religion, both past and present. Learn more at:
https://www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub/