Decolonising medieval Irish History? The (im)possibility of challenging existing practice

Abstract

The ‘Decolonial’ turn has come to the discipline of Irish history. How will it be used? As a liberal metaphor or decolonial praxis? As the turn proceeds through the discipline to pre-modern studies, it is increasingly likely to be liberally defanged and homogenised. We, three scholars from various fields, present some questions on the application of epistemic decolonisation to ‘medieval’ ‘Irish’ history and some methods and methodologies along with warnings to well-meaning academics. Listening to, learning from and being in conversation with decolonial scholars from the Global South, we propose to unsettle the coloniality in medieval Irish history/studies while respecting Global South epistemologies and struggles and not using decoloniality and decolonisation as an academic fad. This unsettling is necessary as coloniality is visible in medieval Irish studies. Colonial positionalities, epistemes, axiomatic assumptions and institutions are constitutive of the field. Are academics ready and willing to challenge existing practice?