Martin J. Power

Scapegoating During a Time of Crisis: A Critique of Post-Celtic Tiger Ireland:

Focusing upon scapegoating in post-crash Ireland, this article considers a pervasive political process that is protective of powerful interests and the status quo following the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. Drawing from group conflict theory and framing analysis as part of a broader critical realist take on society, we consider how blame has been placed on myriad targets, ranging from a collective ‘we who went a bit mad with borrowing’ to more specific groups such as public sector workers, the unemployed, single mothers and immigrants. In conclusion, we underscore the need for sociology to assert its relevance by challenging such processes and defend civil society in a capitalist world-system that is in structural crisis.

‘Why bother seeing the world for real?’: Google Street View and the representation of a stigmatised neighbourhood

We examine how an Irish stigmatised neighbourhood is represented by Google Street View. In spite of Google’s claims that Street View allows for ‘a virtual reflection of the real world to enable armchair exploration’ (McClendon, 2010). We show how it is directly implicated in the politics of representations. We focus on the manner in which Street View has contributed to the stigmatisation of a marginalised neighbourhood. Methodologically, we adopt a rhetorical/structuralist analysis of the images of Moyross present on Street View. While Google has said the omissions were ‘for operational reasons’, we argue that a wider social and ideological context may have influenced Google’s decision to exclude Moyross. We examine the opportunities available for contesting such representations, which have significance for the immediate and long-term future of the estate, given the necessity to attract businesses into Moyross as part of the ongoing economic aspect of the regeneration of this area.

Tarring everyone with the same shorthand? Journalists, stigmatization and social exclusion

This article investigates the role of journalists in the media construction of a socially excluded and stigmatized local authority housing estate. We seek to identify the ways in which the production context of ‘newsmaking’ is reflected in such content. Having outlined the problematic ways in which the estate in question is portrayed, we argue that an increasingly competitive commercial environment – best evidenced in the marketization of news – is increasing pressures on journalists to prioritize circulation figures and audience ratings over journalistic balance. Our analysis of this issue is guided by two interconnected and over-arching theoretical approaches, namely social exclusion and political economy. Our analysis is situated squarely in the context of recent debates concerning the social and political implications of the increased marketization of news. In reasserting the importance of a critical sociology of journalism, our case raises fundamental questions about the practice of journalism and how complex issues such as social exclusion and poverty are represented in a media setting.

A push and a shove and the land is ours: Morrissey's counter-hegemonic stance(s) on social class

We explore how the singer Morrissey has represented the struggles of the proletariat in creative and provocative ways, inviting a deep textual reading that reveals a complex counter-hegemonic stance on the issue of social class. A champion of the ‘Other’ in a variety of guises, Morrissey is revealed in this article as a raconteur of the marginalized working class. We illustrate this through a detailed semiotic, musical and contextual reading of one particular song; ‘Interesting Drug’. We reveal tensions in Morrisseys representations of the proletariat. Specifically, Morrisseys romantic, nostalgia-laden, oversimplification of the working-class hero of an earlier era seems some distance from the ‘real’ proletariat struggle for representation in the places that count. However, in providing both collective places and intimate spaces in which to reflect, his music becomes counter-hegemonic as he hands power back to the individual to make the music meaningful in whatever way he or she wishes.

Reduced Complexity Path Selection Networks for M-Algorithm Read Channel Detectors

The M-algorithm is a reduced complexity, breadth-first, trellis search alternative to the Viterbi algorithm. It is particularly useful when the number of trellis states is so large as to render Viterbi detection impractical. When dealing with complex or long target responses, values of M ges 16 may be required in order to approach MLD performance. Performing path selection for M ges 16 using previously reported methods can be computationally complex and prohibitive to practical hardware implementation. This paper details reduced complexity path selection networks for use with large values of M. A strategy for the construction of reduced complexity networks is presented and can be used to create networks for a variety of values of M and for other applications where M-algorithm detection can be employed. The use of these networks will allow for practical realisable hardware implementations of M-algorithm detectors for M ges 16.

Reasonable People vs. The Sinister Fringe

ABSTRACT Resistance to austerity in Ireland has until recently been largely muted. In 2013 domestic water charges were introduced and throughout 2014 a series of protests against the charges emerged, culminating in over 90 separate marches on November 1. In this paper we examine the discourses which are produced and circulated by politicians and the mainstream media about this protest movement, and offer a brief insight into the contemporary Irish context of austerity and crisis. We analyse the role of the phrase ‘sinister fringe’ as a discursive device, and unpick the ways in which it has been used to explain the water charges protests to the Irish public. Our conclusions speak to the currency of the protest paradigm as a means of understanding news media reporting of protest. Ultimately we raise concerns regarding the effects of this dominant frame on deliberative democracy.

Exploring the "Learning Careers" of Irish Undergraduate Sociology Students through the Establishment of an Undergraduate Sociology Student Journal

In 2009, a faculty-reviewed student undergraduate journal titled Socheolas: The Limerick Student Journal of Sociology was officially launched. The journal, now in its fourth volume, is produced, edited, and managed by a small team from within the Department of Sociology at the University of Limerick in Ireland. The objective of this student journal is to allow undergraduate sociology students to have firsthand experience of the process of editing and rewriting for publication in a supportive and constructive environment. However, an evaluation of the journal’s editorial and review practices involving previous student contributors to the journal revealed the different challenges and obstacles—emotional, cognitive, as well as social—that hallmarked their progression from being consumers of sociological knowledge (as students) to being producers of sociological knowledge (as writers). The authors discuss these challenges with a view to developing an insight into the “learning careers” of some undergraduate sociology students in Ireland.

“I sing out to the youth of the slums”: Morrissey and Class Disgust

Abstract In this article, we examine “The Slum Mums,” a song that was written by popular music icon Morrissey about the contempt felt for lone female mothers in the UK under the New Labour government. We hold that the song pre-empted the intensification of gendered and classed disgust discourses which have become even more prevalent in the UK and elsewhere in the current age of austerity. The article demonstrates that popular music can be an important site of counter-hegemonic discourse. Our approach is socio-cultural and contextual and we are also concerned with tracking the emotional and somatic responses this song is capable of generating, particularly in terms of registering an uncomfortable awareness of the realities of gendered discourses of class disgust.

Saying Hello to the Lunatic Men: A Critical Reading of ‘Love is Lost’

Pierrot the clown is a recurring figure in David Bowie’s oeuvre. In this article we examine Bowie’s use of Pierrot in his self-directed homemade video for the single release of ‘Love is Lost’ (2013). The article demonstrates how an understanding of Pierrot (and all he represents), as well as Bowie’s engagement with avant-garde Jewish composers and artists, is vital to interpreting ‘Love is Lost’. We provide a reading of Bowie’s use of Pierrot as an avatar for everyman, for creativity and for the struggles over identities.

From the Mouths of Janus: Political Constructions of Transactional EU Migrants in Ireland

INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH INDICATES that recessionary periods may be accompanied by a decline in the quality of relations between the majority population and migrant groups as the latter are at risk of being scapegoated for the economic downturn. In that context, political leadership on the matter of immigration is of crucial importance, with political parties having a key role to play in framing how the public understand immigration. This article is based on research which examined how politicians construct non-Irish EU immigrants to Ireland through an analysis of the content of statements attributed to this group in the print media. The article focuses on those statements relating to welfare and the economy, which were among a larger range of themes identified in the wider study. Our sample of articles demonstrates that representatives on both the left and right of the political spectrum were found to commonly address the issue of immigration as a social problem, whether by contributing to its framing as a problem, or by seeking to contradict its problematisation. In particular, our analysis demonstrated that some representatives of mainstream parties contribute to a discourse whereby migrants are constructed as fraudulent and as burdens on the economy. Drawing on theories (McLaren and Johnson, ; Blumer, ; Quillian, ; Espenshade and Hempstead, ) that link anti-immigrant hostility to perceptions of resource competition, our paper argues that such political constructions of EU migrants reflect a neoliberal understanding of citizenship which prioritises the economic citizen. We find that such constructions will in turn ‘inform’ public debate, thus impacting on citizens’ awareness of these issues; and that they may ultimately have a detrimental impact on how immigrants and their needs are publicly perceived and treated.