Rot by Padraic X. Scanlan
In Rot, historian Padraic X. Scanlan offers the definitive account of the Great Famine, showing how Ireland's place in the United Kingdom and the British Empire made it uniquely vulnerable to starvation. Ireland's overreliance on the potato was a desperate adaptation to an unstable and unequal marketplace created by British colonialism. The empire's laissez-faire economic policies saw Ireland exporting livestock and grain even as its people starved. When famine struck, relief efforts were premised on the idea that only free markets and wage labor could save the Irish. Ireland's wretchedness, before and during the Great Famine, was often blamed on Irish backwardness, but in fact, it resulted from the British Empire's embrace of modern capitalism.
Uncovering the disaster's roots in Britain's deep imperial faith in markets, commerce, and capitalism, Rot reshapes our understanding of the Great Famine and its tragic legacy.
(From Hachette Book Group)
Rot is available in March 2025.
Padraic X. Scanlan is a Toronto-based author and an associate professor at the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources and the Centre for Diaspora & Transnational Studies at the University of Toronto. His writing has been published in the Washington Post, the Guardian, the Times Literary Supplement and the New Inquiry. Rot is his third book.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
20 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Dozens arrested around the UK at protests to support proscribed group Palestine Action
LONDON (AP) — British police arrested dozens of people for supporting a banned Palestinian rights organization on Saturday as protests over the government's decision to outlaw the group continued for a third weekend. Waving placards reading 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,' demonstrators gathered in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Londonderry and Truro.
Winnipeg Free Press
21 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Dozens arrested around the UK at protests to support proscribed group Palestine Action
LONDON (AP) — British police arrested dozens of people for supporting a banned Palestinian rights organization on Saturday as protests over the government's decision to outlaw the group continued for a third weekend. Waving placards reading 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,' demonstrators gathered in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Londonderry and Truro. The government moved to ban Palestine Action after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20 to protest British military support for Israel's war with Hamas. The activists sprayed red paint into the jet engines of two huge tanker planes and caused further damage with crowbars. Parliament passed legislation earlier this month designating Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, meaning membership in the group or support for its actions are now punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Police announced an increased presence in central London ahead of the protests, saying they would protect the right to peaceful protest but would act swiftly if demonstrators violated the law. 'Those who see this as an opportunity to test the limits of the law by expressing support for Palestine Action, whether at a standalone protest or as part of the Palestine Coalition protest, will likely be committing an offense and will very likely be arrested,' Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said in a statement released Thursday. Supporters of Palestine Action are challenging the ban, with the High Court in London scheduled to consider the case on Monday, according to the campaign group Defend Our Juries, which organized Saturday's protests. Almost 100 protesters were arrested around the country on Saturday, including 55 in London, Defend Our Juries said in a statement. In London, police officers surrounded demonstrators who had gathered at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi that stands in a park across the street from the Houses of Parliament. Officers confiscated placards and searched the bags of those arrested. Video posted online showed police carrying an elderly man away from the demonstration in the Cornish city of Truro as he shouted, 'I oppose genocide.'
Canada News.Net
a day ago
- Canada News.Net
Trump tells NATO to donate weapons to Kyiv, and buy them from US
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump has unveiled a new strategy to aid Ukraine without directly draining U.S. stockpiles: encourage European allies to donate their defense systems—especially Patriot missile batteries—and let the U.S. sell them modern replacements. But turning that pitch into reality will be complicated. Though Trump announced that some Patriot systems could arrive in Ukraine "within days," insiders say the plan is more of a concept than a fully developed strategy. Ten U.S. and European officials confirmed that key details—such as who gives up which weapons and when—are still under negotiation. The U.S.-made Patriot missile defense system, prized for its ability to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles, is in short supply and high demand among American allies. Trump's proposal hinges on NATO nations parting with their limited supply. According to officials familiar with the initiative, Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte devised the plan recently. Kyiv welcomed the proposal, seeing it as a notable shift from Trump, who had spoken warmly of Russian President Vladimir Putin until recently. Still, the rollout caught many off guard. Two European diplomats said they first heard of the plan as it was announced. Rutte named six NATO countries—Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and Canada—as potential participants during his meeting with Trump. However, several of their embassies were not briefed in advance. A NATO official confirmed that any future deliveries would be coordinated through its Security Assistance and Training mission in Germany, which manages military aid to Ukraine. A key meeting of nations that own Patriot batteries, led by NATO's top military commander, is being considered for July 23. The goal: secure more air defense systems for Ukraine. Meanwhile, U.S. officials say Washington may be open to sending additional offensive weapons under the plan, though Trump has cautioned that Ukraine should not attack Moscow directly. Former U.S. ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker said Trump's plan strikes a political balance, supporting Ukraine while appealing to Republicans skeptical of U.S. military aid. "He's shifting the burden to Europe, just like he promised his base," Volker said. Trump's renewed toughness on Russia, insiders say, reflects a realization that Putin's territorial ambitions extend beyond Crimea and eastern Ukraine. "He no longer believes Putin is negotiating in good faith," said one senior U.S. official. European leaders have cautiously welcomed Trump's change in tone but remain wary of footing the bill. Some countries—such as Greece and Spain—have resisted earlier requests to donate Patriot batteries, citing national security concerns. U.S. officials are now combing through NATO inventories and exploring trade options. Through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program or other deals, allies might be persuaded to part with equipment in exchange for faster replacements. Ultimately, Volker estimates Ukraine could receive 12–13 Patriot batteries, though deliveries could take up to a year. As one Pentagon official put it, "Now the hard part begins: convincing nations to give up their most prized defenses."
