This edited book focuses on practices of work in late modern society, taking an ‘issue-based’ and interdisciplinary approach to English Studies which acknowledges the impact of globalization on the position of English in the daily existence of millions of people around the world. Envisioning English as “a diverse yet unified subject” where the study of literature, language, and education can be pursued thematically, it constitutes part of an ongoing transformation and revitalization of English Studies. It will be of interest to readers with backgrounds in linguistics, literature and education, as well as fields normally seen as lying ‘beyond’ English Studies such as psychology, sociology, philosophy, urban studies, political science and childhood studies.

In a globalized world, English Studies is in need of transformation. Serving as an introduction to the anthology, this chapter makes the case for an issue-based approach to English Studies where engagement is sought with fields beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. From the position that English Studies can be understood as a form of participatory action — where English Studies is brought into the world and the world is brought into English Studies — the chapter examines practices of work in contemporary society, and previews the volume’s contributions.

The economic boom in Ireland, referred to as the Celtic Tiger, resulted in a financial merry-go-round, where there were few restrictions controlling the financial institutions. This in turn created a financial bubble that ultimately burst, resulting in the financial crash in 2008. At both the individual and collective levels, the crash was devastating, causing severe unemployment and economic hardship, even poverty among many segments of the population, re-shaping the landscape of work in Ireland. This chapter explores the pain and vulnerability following the crash as represented in Donal Ryan’s novel The Spinning Heart (2012). The novel offers a hard-hitting critique of irresponsible constructors and employers, a reality ultimately made possible by a corrupt and dysfunctional political culture.

Considerable critical attention has been paid to Brendan Kennelly's versions of the ancient Greek plays, Antigone, Medea, and The Trojan Women, while his version of Federico Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding (Bodas de sangre) has largely been ignored. This article examines the ways in which Kennelly's Blood Wedding challenges fixed gender patterns and traditional social codes. Thus, although set in 1930s rural Spain, the play resonates with issues that have for long been central to Irish identity. Linking Lorca's artistic concerns to Kennelly's, and locating the play within areas of great importance to Irish feminism, which questions traditional constructions of womanhood, the article argues that Kennelly's play proposes a resistance to dominant behaviour, represented as highly restrictive, as well as to the unquestioning conformity to oppressive norms that prevent women, and men, from leading fulfilling lives. In other words, the article suggests that the play ultimately voices the possibility of change, the driving force of which lies in a kind of sisterhood. The play therefore takes part in a questioning and a renegotiation of Irish identity.