Young Pakistani Men and Irish Identity: Religion, Race and Ethnicity in Post-Celtic Tiger Ireland

Abstract

This article contributes to the discussion on Irish identity by considering a set of empirical data from ethnographic research carried out in Pakistani communities in Dublin. The article considers views on ‘Irishness’ through the lens of young second-generation Pakistani Irish men. The data presented highlight how the Celtic Tiger experience reproduced cultural and ethnic narratives of Irish identity, but simultaneously initiated a new, more civic-oriented view of ‘Irishness’. Of particular concern in the minds of young Pakistani men include the secularisation of Irish society and the role that ‘whiteness’ plays in processes of ‘othering’ in Ireland. The article reveals that the current period of Irish history provides an opportunity for the Pakistani Irish to challenge some of the assumptions currently associated with Irish identity. Ultimately, the article calls for a broader understanding of Irish identity through the lens of civic national principles, which can better serve Ireland’s increasingly diverse population.