Open Access“Don’t Mention the War!” : Cultural Life in Dublin during World War II
Author(s) -
Alexandra Slaby
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
lisa
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1762-6153
DOI - 10.4000/lisa.2043
Subject(s) - neutrality , world war ii , censorship , embarrassment , nazism , population , history , law , political science , media studies , politics , sociology , psychology , social psychology , demography
The neutrality which led Ireland to hide the atrocities of World War II from its population still causes embarrassment to the country to this day. Nevertheless, a new perception of this thorny issue seems to be emerging thanks to a new musical which came out in 2004 caricaturing in a comical way an Ireland collaborating with the Nazis. This event calls for a re-examination of the pro-neutrality propaganda policy especially in the area of representation. Cultural life in Dublin during World War II is often described as being drab, stifled by the censorship of all material directly or indirectly concerning the belligerents. In fact, this period is a watershed towards the modern assimilation of foreign influences, notably in the area of the visual and performing arts