This is a book about Irish nationalism and how Irish nationalists developed their own concept of Irish race. Bruce Nelson begins to explore the discourse of race - from the 19th century belief that "race is everything" to the newer argument that there are no races.

It focuses on how English observers built "indigenous" and Irish Catholics as uncivilized and savage, and about the obstruction of Irish in the 19th century, especially in Britain and the United States, where Irish immigrants were often portrayed in terms of mainly applicable to enslaved Africans And their grandchildren. Most writers focus on how the Irish created their own identity - in the context of slavery, abolition, empire and revolution.

Since the Irish were a distracted people, the process was not only in Ireland but in the United States, Britain, Australia, South Africa and other countries. Many nationalists were determined to reject anything that would run counter to the goal of building a united movement aimed at the full independence of Ireland.

But others, including the men and women at the heart of this study, believe that the Irish struggle must create a more inclusive sense of Irish nationalism and defend freedom everywhere. Nelson pays close attention to this argument within Irish nationalism, and to the ways that resonate with nationalists all over the world, from India to the Caribbean..

I want that book.