The conflict in Northern Ireland continues to provide a steady supply of new titles, academic and popular, to our bookshelves. The grim, but essential, starting-point for those who want an overview of the human cost of the conflict should be Lost lives: the stories of the men, women and children who died through the Northern … Read more
Subcommander Marcos: the man and the mask Nick Henck (Duke University Press, $25) ISBN 9780822339953On 1 January 1994 an indigenous rebel army occupied several towns in south-east Mexico, launching an uprising against the government. They came out of nowhere and announced their intention to advance towards Mexico City to overthrow the corrupt regime. The Zapatista … Read more
Contemporary Latin America Ronaldo Munck (Palgrave McMillan, £52.50) ISBN 9780230514942 Given the rapid changes taking place in the continent and wider developments in the global political economy, attempting to capture the reality of contemporary Latin America is a challenging task. The end of the Cold War and the rise of China have combined to create … Read more
Roger Casement: imperialist, rebel, revolutionary Séamas Ó Síocháin (Lilliput Press, €40) ISBN 978 843510215 Those who speak truth to power often meet violent ends. Rodolfo Walsh, Ken Saro Wiwa and Chico Mendes are all recent examples; Roger Casement, who spent much of his life drawing attention to unspeakable truths, is another. His official investigation of … Read more
Sir, —In his review of Coolacrease (HI 17.2, March/April 2009) JoostAugusteijn attempts to be fair. But he falls into a trap laid byBritish politicians and journalists, and noted by Edward MacLysaght inhis diary for 28 January 1919, exactly one week after the first meetingof Dáil Éireann: ‘In quoting statistics for last year’s general election they … Read more