Identities in Transformation

This theme is a priority research theme of the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts & Humanities Research Institute and its seven affiliated Arts & Humanities Schools.  Identities, both on the level of the individual and the collective, are formed and develop in complex processes that negotiate attitudes, values and behaviours and shape our social and cultural practices. Cultural memory, how it is constituted and contested, plays a central role in the formation of such identities. The complex and shifting dynamic between memory and identity becomes particularly relevant in times of crisis, disruption and rapid change such as the current one. This research field undertakes a multi-facetted investigation of how the negotiation of identity is linked to processes of transformation on the level of history and culture; an investigation which allows deeper insight into the dynamics between social and political change, shifts in cultural memory, cultural and artistic practices and human agency.

Benefits to Society

Identity and memory are fundamental to the way we understand and interpret ourselves, both as individuals and as collectives. They establish our relationship with the past and position ourselves in relation to tradition. In this they influence our sense of belonging and are of prime importance for social cohesion. They also play a decisive role in orientation within international contexts. Research into this dynamic sharpens cultural awareness, and allow us to better understand and navigate intercultural communication with other societies and cultures in a global age. Overall, research into the complex relationship between transformative processes and identities contributes to a stronger sense of self and towards empowerment for shaping our future. 

Research at Trinity

In Trinity College, questions of identity and memory are investigated from a rich variety of perspectives. Identity politics and memory contests are central research topics for political and social historians as well as for cultural studies and literary scholars. There are distinctive viewpoints which researchers from across the Arts & Humanities bring towards an investigation of identity and memory such as national identity and the identity of social groups, linguistic identity, religious identity, identity of gender or the way identity is narrated, translated, performed in arts and culture or reflected in historical and philosophical discourse. The theme also allows multiple connections to work on identity questions in the Social Sciences, in Psychology and Neuroscience.

Research Champion

The research champion for this theme is Professor Juergen Barkhoff.