Brigitte Bastiat – författare

More than twenty years after the peace agreement signed in Belfast on 10 April 1998, an assessment is overdue, particularly given the current political context in Northern Ireland. A serious political crisis led to the suspension of the regional institutions from January 2017 to January 2020, and the Brexit negotiations did not facilitate the search for a solution, especially as the confidence-and-supply agreement between the British Conservative Party and the DUP prevented London from acting as an honest broker between Sinn Féin and the DUP. At the same time, the issue of the Irish border created tensions between Dublin and London. This situation was compounded by the resurgence of rioting, mostly in Loyalist areas of Belfast and Derry/Londonderry, in April 2021, against the backdrop of Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol and communal resentment.Emanating from a conference jointly organised at the University of Caen Normandy and La Rochelle University, this collection of essays – bringing together academic and independent scholars from various disciplines and nationalities – takes a critical look at the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, from the collaboration between Dublin and London to the new political configurations in Northern Ireland, as well as interfaith, cultural, social and economic developments. Divided into three main parts, it furnishes an opportunity to better understand the reasons for the apparent deterioration in inter-community understanding since 1998, but also to study the numerous initiatives that have sought to promote reconciliation, be it in the economy, the working environment, in the literary and artistic spheres, in schools or in the urban landscape.

This collection examines the role that adventure has played and continues to play in French and Irish society and culture in areas as diverse as literature, theatre, war journalism, painting, photography, sport and diplomatic dining. The three types of adventure as defined by the French philosopher Vladimir Jankélévitch are reflected in the various essays. Mortal adventure can be found in the chapters on war journalism and painting, sport and in the pioneer work of the first women photographers and reporters. Aesthetic adventure is depicted in the chapters on the work of Joseph Kessel, Colm Tóibín, Colum McCann, Jan Carson, Anna Burns, Paddy Bushe, John McGahern, Gustave Flaubert and Brian Friel, who have all developed innovative and challenging styles in their attempts to depict aspects of the human condition. Finally, Love adventure is a strong leitmotif in several essays also. We are traversing a time of transformation and transition, a time in which climate change, health crises, wars, and the re-emergence of populism as a force across the planet, have brought us to a crossroads in our history. This collection illustrates how the creative and imaginative power of history, literature and art can help us decipher and redefine our place in this new world and assist us to navigate the challenging adventure(s) that may await us.