The Heroic Outlaw in Irish Folklore and Popular Literature

Cashman, Ray

doi:10.1080/00155870020004602

Cited by 10 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…We examine this notion of national pride with a scale developed from four AuSSA questions to measure the extent to which sporting events 'shaped Australia'. 10 Drawing upon Hobsbawm (1960Hobsbawm ( , 2000, Cashman (2000) and Seal (1996), we developed questions to capture some of the reasons Ned Kelly remains so well known. The aim was not to seek the 'truth' regarding what Australians know about Kelly, but rather what people 'believe' about the outlaw (Ward, 1980in Seal, 2002.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ned Kelly

Tranter

Donoghue

2010

Journal of Sociology

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Myths associated with outlaws or ‘social bandits’ are important elements of national identity in many countries. Long after his death the outlaw Ned Kelly lives on in Australian culture through various media, ensuring his enduring symbolic importance for national identity. National survey data indicates Kelly’s salience for a majority of Australians, although attitudes regarding his status as hero or villain vary considerably. Younger, left-leaning, working-class Australians and consumers of popular culture view Kelly as important, while tertiary-educated, political conservatives tend to downplay his significance. Perceptions of Kelly’s character also influence attitudes regarding his national significance. The lack of foundation heroes in a nation built not only by free settlers but also by English convicts and Irish rebels goes some way to explaining why a 19th-century outlaw is one of the few historical figures recognized by a majority of Australians.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We attempt to explain differences of opinion over Kelly by drawing upon recurrent themes in the literature on social banditry (e.g. Cashman, 2000;Hobsbawm, 1960;Seal, 1996Seal, , 2002 and then examine how these themes apply to this particular case.…”

Section: Measuring Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%