Dueling Ethnic Cultures: The Irish Contribution to Chicago’s Century of Progress World’s Fair 1933-34
This power point presentation depicts Ireland and Irish America at the Century of Progress. The Irish government opted for high culture: books, paintings, and crafts; while Irish-American entrepreneurs created an “Irish Village” with dancing girls, pubs, and bizarre events. The two visions clashed dramatically. Join Charles Fanning to explore these dueling representations of the Irish culture.
Charles Fanning earned his PhD in American Civilization at the University of Pennsylvania and is a Professor Emeritus at SIUC. His research combines intellectual and literary history, especially related to Irish-American immigrants. Among his twelve books is Finley Peter Dunne and Mr. Dooley: The Chicago Years (1978), which won the Frederick Jackson Turner Award of the Organization of American Historians, and The Irish Voice in America: 250 Years of Irish-American Fiction (2000). Professor Fanning was named SIUC Outstanding Scholar in 2004.
