Login
Create Account
Canadian Store (CAD)
You are currently shopping in our Canadian store. For orders outside of Canada, please switch to our international store. International and US orders are billed in US dollars.
 |
Between Raid and RebellionThe Irish in Buffalo and Toronto, 1867-1916 |
eBook Available
A comparative study of Irish communities in a Canadian and an American city.
In Between Raid and Rebellion, William Jenkins compares the lives and allegiances of Irish immigrants and their descendants in one American and one Canadian city between the era of the Fenian raids and the 1916 Easter Rising. Highlighting the significance of immigrants from Ulster to Toronto and from Munster to Buffalo, he distinguishes what it meant to be Irish in a loyal dominion within Britain's empire and in a republic whose self-confidence knew no bounds.
Jenkins pays close attention to the transformations that occurred within the Irish communities in these cities during this fifty-year period, from residential patterns to social mobility and political attitudes. Exploring their experiences in workplaces, homes, churches, and meeting halls, he argues that while various social, cultural, and political networks were crucial to the realization of Irish mobility and respectability in North America by the early twentieth century, place-related circumstances linked to wider national loyalties and diasporic concerns. With the question of Irish home rule animating debates throughout the period, Toronto's unionist sympathizers presented a marked contrast to Buffalo's nationalist agitators. Although the Irish had acclimated to life in their new world cities, their sense of feeling Irish had not faded to the degree so often assumed.
A groundbreaking comparative analysis, Between Raid and Rebellion draws upon perspectives from history and geography to enhance our understanding of the Irish experiences in these centers and the process by which immigrants settle into new urban environments.
Jenkins pays close attention to the transformations that occurred within the Irish communities in these cities during this fifty-year period, from residential patterns to social mobility and political attitudes. Exploring their experiences in workplaces, homes, churches, and meeting halls, he argues that while various social, cultural, and political networks were crucial to the realization of Irish mobility and respectability in North America by the early twentieth century, place-related circumstances linked to wider national loyalties and diasporic concerns. With the question of Irish home rule animating debates throughout the period, Toronto's unionist sympathizers presented a marked contrast to Buffalo's nationalist agitators. Although the Irish had acclimated to life in their new world cities, their sense of feeling Irish had not faded to the degree so often assumed.
A groundbreaking comparative analysis, Between Raid and Rebellion draws upon perspectives from history and geography to enhance our understanding of the Irish experiences in these centers and the process by which immigrants settle into new urban environments.
Details
Part of the McGill-Queen's Studies in Ethnic History Series (number 2.33 in series)
536 Pages, 6 x 9
37 figures, 27 tables
ISBN 9780773540958
October 2013
Formats: Paperback, Cloth, eBook
“Utilizing an impressive array of documentary sources, the author demonstrates conclusively that in both urban centers, the Irish acculturated rather than assimilated, shaping their context, and in turn being shaped by it. Scholars and students of diaspora studies will find this volume insightful and informative for their discipline. Recommended.” Choice
"Jenkins has written a big book of significant insight. He joins a very select group of scholars who have attempted full-scale comparative treatments and offers an incredibly rich and deep analysis." Irish Historical Studies
“Jenkins’s work proves what diaspora scholars know: that ethnic identity is a complex concept shaped by many diverse elements. His comparison invites more studies of communities within the United States or the worldwide diaspora. This book should be on the shelf of every diasporic scholar as a useful reference and classroom tool.” American Historical Review
“This book is an important intervention into the histories of Buffalo, Toronto and, more broadly speaking, the Irish diaspora. Perhaps its greatest contribution will be in encouraging historians of immigrant communities to frame their research questions in unconventional ways. Jenkins’ book may prove to be an important launching pad for our continued re-thinking of the processes and politics of the city.” Urban History
“Jenkins’s ability to fluently situate his work in the context of comparative urban studies will attract many historians of the Irish and non-Irish alike. Between Raid and Rebellion is a groundbreaking history of the Irish in North America with much to offer scholars of other migrant groups and identities.” Journal of American Ethnic History
“This pioneering, scrupulous, elegant study affirms that unification and uniformity cornerstones materialized according to local conditions and cultural transplantations to generate distinct immigrant identities in Buffalo and Toronto. It sets a high and ambitious standard.” The Journal of American History
"An important and timely addition to the growing body of literature re-examining Ireland’s revolutionary period [and its often ignored] strong trans-atlantic dimension. It is essential reading for anyone trying to understand that period in its proper context." Canadian Geographer
"Between Raid and Rebellion offers a detailed view that marshals information from deeply mined local newspapers, census reports, and associational records. [His] sophisticated, yet clearly explained, theoretical perspective establishes a solid platform for the ensuing wealth of empirical information. The result is a twin view of his subject cities that amounts to much more than the sum of its parts. The depth of research and quality of Canadian-American comparisons stands as a worthwhile model for the next generation of Irish-American scholars." New Hibernia Review
“Between Raid and Rebellion powerfully delivers on its promise of being a groundbreaking comparative analysis and challenges future histories of the Irish diaspora to match its successful use of interdisciplinarity.” Canadian Historical Review
“Breaks new ground by bringing into sharp focus - in a comparative framework - how the Irish settled in two North American cities, Toronto and Buffalo. It is also elegantly written and populated with hundreds of colourful characters who together bring Jenkins’s story to life.” University of Toronto Quarterly
“The strength of his work lies in the continuities he depicts across the period and the contrast between the strong political identity of the Buffalo community and the tentative identities in Toronto.” Cecil Houston, Journal of Historical Geography
“Between Raid and Rebellion is a significant addition to the existing literature on the Irish diaspora. Because of its comparative perspective and urban focus, it will likely be of interest to scholars in the wider fields of ethnic and urban studies.” Michael Cottrell, Department of History, University of Saskatchewan
"Jenkins has written a big book of significant insight. He joins a very select group of scholars who have attempted full-scale comparative treatments and offers an incredibly rich and deep analysis." Irish Historical Studies
“Jenkins’s work proves what diaspora scholars know: that ethnic identity is a complex concept shaped by many diverse elements. His comparison invites more studies of communities within the United States or the worldwide diaspora. This book should be on the shelf of every diasporic scholar as a useful reference and classroom tool.” American Historical Review
“This book is an important intervention into the histories of Buffalo, Toronto and, more broadly speaking, the Irish diaspora. Perhaps its greatest contribution will be in encouraging historians of immigrant communities to frame their research questions in unconventional ways. Jenkins’ book may prove to be an important launching pad for our continued re-thinking of the processes and politics of the city.” Urban History
“Jenkins’s ability to fluently situate his work in the context of comparative urban studies will attract many historians of the Irish and non-Irish alike. Between Raid and Rebellion is a groundbreaking history of the Irish in North America with much to offer scholars of other migrant groups and identities.” Journal of American Ethnic History
“This pioneering, scrupulous, elegant study affirms that unification and uniformity cornerstones materialized according to local conditions and cultural transplantations to generate distinct immigrant identities in Buffalo and Toronto. It sets a high and ambitious standard.” The Journal of American History
"An important and timely addition to the growing body of literature re-examining Ireland’s revolutionary period [and its often ignored] strong trans-atlantic dimension. It is essential reading for anyone trying to understand that period in its proper context." Canadian Geographer
"Between Raid and Rebellion offers a detailed view that marshals information from deeply mined local newspapers, census reports, and associational records. [His] sophisticated, yet clearly explained, theoretical perspective establishes a solid platform for the ensuing wealth of empirical information. The result is a twin view of his subject cities that amounts to much more than the sum of its parts. The depth of research and quality of Canadian-American comparisons stands as a worthwhile model for the next generation of Irish-American scholars." New Hibernia Review
“Between Raid and Rebellion powerfully delivers on its promise of being a groundbreaking comparative analysis and challenges future histories of the Irish diaspora to match its successful use of interdisciplinarity.” Canadian Historical Review
“Breaks new ground by bringing into sharp focus - in a comparative framework - how the Irish settled in two North American cities, Toronto and Buffalo. It is also elegantly written and populated with hundreds of colourful characters who together bring Jenkins’s story to life.” University of Toronto Quarterly
“The strength of his work lies in the continuities he depicts across the period and the contrast between the strong political identity of the Buffalo community and the tentative identities in Toronto.” Cecil Houston, Journal of Historical Geography
“Between Raid and Rebellion is a significant addition to the existing literature on the Irish diaspora. Because of its comparative perspective and urban focus, it will likely be of interest to scholars in the wider fields of ethnic and urban studies.” Michael Cottrell, Department of History, University of Saskatchewan
William Jenkins is associate professor of geography at York University.
Figures xi
Tables xiii
Acknowledgments xv
1 Introduction: Irish Immigrants and Questions of Place 3
Part 1: Irish Lives, Places, and Identities in Late Victorian Buffalo and Toronto
2 Nineteenth-Century Buffalo and Toronto and the Contexts of Irish Immigration 19
3 Known Groups: Patterns of Work, Residence, and Everyday Survival 55
4 Pews and Parades: Institutions, Networks, and Social Encounters 107
5 Wards and Votes: The Irish and Their Political Arenas 144
6 From Misrule to Rome Rule: Irish Diaspora Politics in the Post-Ridgeway Era 181
Part 2: Continuities and Transitions in the Early Twentieth Century
7 Channels, Niches, and Preserves: Occupations and Careers in the Early Twentieth Century 223
8 Lodges and Lace Curtains: Homes and Neighbourhoods, c. 1900-15 264
9 Prevailing Threads: Diasporic Nationalism and Unionism, c. 1893-1916 306
Conclusion: More Than Just Points on the Map 355
Appendices 365
Notes 373
Bibliography 449
Index 491
Tables xiii
Acknowledgments xv
1 Introduction: Irish Immigrants and Questions of Place 3
Part 1: Irish Lives, Places, and Identities in Late Victorian Buffalo and Toronto
2 Nineteenth-Century Buffalo and Toronto and the Contexts of Irish Immigration 19
3 Known Groups: Patterns of Work, Residence, and Everyday Survival 55
4 Pews and Parades: Institutions, Networks, and Social Encounters 107
5 Wards and Votes: The Irish and Their Political Arenas 144
6 From Misrule to Rome Rule: Irish Diaspora Politics in the Post-Ridgeway Era 181
Part 2: Continuities and Transitions in the Early Twentieth Century
7 Channels, Niches, and Preserves: Occupations and Careers in the Early Twentieth Century 223
8 Lodges and Lace Curtains: Homes and Neighbourhoods, c. 1900-15 264
9 Prevailing Threads: Diasporic Nationalism and Unionism, c. 1893-1916 306
Conclusion: More Than Just Points on the Map 355
Appendices 365
Notes 373
Bibliography 449
Index 491
Winner
Joseph Brant Award (2014), Ontario Historical Society, best book published on the multicultural history of Ontario in the last three years
Winner
Clio Prize (Ontario) (2014), Canadian Historical Association, best book published on the history of Ontario in 2013
Winner
The James S. Donnelly Sr. Prize (2014), American Conference for Irish Studies, best book in History and the Social Sciences published in 2013
Winner
Geographical Society of Ireland Book of the Year Award
(2013-2015)
Joseph Brant Award (2014), Ontario Historical Society, best book published on the multicultural history of Ontario in the last three years
Winner
Clio Prize (Ontario) (2014), Canadian Historical Association, best book published on the history of Ontario in 2013
Winner
The James S. Donnelly Sr. Prize (2014), American Conference for Irish Studies, best book in History and the Social Sciences published in 2013
Winner
Geographical Society of Ireland Book of the Year Award
(2013-2015)
