The 2004 Irish citizenship referendum
A case of stealth White supremacy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19220708 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Elisa Joy White (0009-0005-7466-2642, African Union, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 195-220 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-10 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Irish Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0791-6035 • E-ISSN: 2050-5280 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/07916035261455230 |
| OpenAlex | W7164192640 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
The 2004 Irish Citizenship Referendum was a large tool in an already extant project to secure an overwhelmingly White national populace and delimit the presence of people of colour who, by definition, disrupt that mission. This article – through an examination of Oireachtas debates, high-profile immigration cases in a global perspective, current anti-immigration movements and contemporary engagements with authoritarianism – argues that the 2004 referendum and subsequent 27th Amendment ending birthright citizenship in Ireland can best be contextualised as participation in a White supremacy project. Hence the end of jus soli citizenship in Ireland was less an anomaly in an otherwise humanitarian society but an extension of anti-Blackness and a commitment to Whiteness at the core of Irish identity
Authoritarianism · Citizenship · Immigration · Irish · Referendum · White supremacy · Xenophobia · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity · Interdisciplinary Cultural and Social Studies · Irish and British Studies
| Highly cited | No |
|---|