Litteraria Pragensia 55 - Irish Language & Scottish Gaelic Literatures. A Global Context

What is the purpose of writing literature in minority languages, such as Irish and Scottish Gaelic? Is the effort to preserve and revive these languages an expression of a narrow-minded identitarian thinking, or does it have value in an increasingly globalized world? Trying to answer these questions is no mere academic exercise, as the tension between local identities and globalism lies at the core of many difficult political problems of today and to find some meaningful mediation or reconciliation between the two poles is a pressing task. Intended as a contribution to a wider recognition of Irish-language and Scottish Gaelic writers in the international context, the articles in this volume highlight the transnational aspects of Irish-language and Scottish Gaelic writing since the beginning of the twentieth century, and in multiple ways deconstruct the stale dichotomies between the nationalist and the cosmopolitan, the traditional and the experimental, and original and translation.