Irish Catholic Political Leadership in Toronto, 1855-1882: A Study of Ethnic Politics
Date
1988-09
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ORCID
Type
Degree Level
Doctoral
Abstract
This study examines the response of Irish Catholics to Ontario politics and explores their impact on the political life of the period by focussing on the Irish Catholic political elite which emerged in Toronto after 1855. This included the Roman Catholic hierarchy, editors of the Irish ethnic press, middle class professional politicians and Irish nationalist leaders. These represented the different political traditions which Irish Catholics brought to North America and the various interests which emerged within the Irish community in Ontario. Since Irish Catholics experienced exclusion in their new environment and sought to mobilize inherited loyalties to secure added political leverage to overcome these structural barriers, their response is viewed within the theoretical framework of ethnic politics. The study examines the attempt of the Irish elite to establish themselves as political brokers or mediators, and explores the relationships within the Irish elite and between this group and the Canadian political establishment. Entrenchment of religious education, parliamentary representation and patronage dominated the Irish political agenda and in the course of pursuing these objectives, they achieved recognition of religious and cultural pluralism through minority representation.
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Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Department
History
Program
History