Irish-American Identity Formation in Savannah, Georgia: Intersections of the Global and the Local

A distinctive Irish-American community has survived in Savannah, Georgia since the early 1800s. In this paper, I discuss and analyze results of ethnographic, oral history, and archival research which revealed ongoing processes of Irish-American identity formation among members of Savannah’s historic Irish-American community. Living in Irish dominated neighborhoods, the Catholic Church, attending parochial schools, and the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade had fostered a sense of shared Irish identity anchored in daily life and interactions for many who grew up in Savannah. Beginning in the 1980s, a number of new Irish rituals and organizations were created, and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade grew to be one of the largest in the country, attracting close to half a million visitors. I propose that a complex interplay of global and local models of Irishness have shaped these processes of identity formation and change

Unacknowledged and unwanted? Environmental refugees in search of legal status

Environmental displacement is a global phenomenon affecting millions of people. Due to climate change and the corresponding sea-level rise, it is estimated that about eight million of indigenous people of Pacific Islands will be forced to settle elsewhere by 2050. This is one of many examples confirming the need to ascertain the legal status of environmental refugee in international law. The term environmental refugee is controversially discussed and internationally not recognised. First, this article discusses the reasons for reluctance of international organisations to accept this term. Second, noting the cold reception of this term at the regional and state levels, a discussion on whether fears associated with this term are based on solid arguments becomes pertinent. Third, this article outlines the possibility of granting refugee status under international law, especially under human rights and environmental law. Fourth, academic discourses will be examined as they play a crucial role in the conceptual development of environmental refugee and, to some academics, the existing refugee definition already encompasses environmental refugees. Taking into account the developments of the environmental and human rights regime, this article concludes that time is ripe for international law to provide refugee status to environmentally displaced people. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC