The final chapter begins by highlighting how this has been a history of segregation, and how this segregation has been encouraged both by Bengali political mobilisation and by mainstream politics. It then looks at why this matters, and at what can be done, developing a Marxist critique of multiculturalism and identity politics. It makes use of comparisons with earlier Marxist theory and practice, stressing the importance of maintaining a socialist materialist analysis while working sensitively with people of different cultures. It shows how the rare liberal critics of multiculturalism have exposed its inherent dangers, but not provided an alternative route that could lead to a fairer less prejudiced society; and it argues that this could be achieved by a new focus on economic structures and class-based politics.

Chapter 2 provides an original description of discourse and procedure in the Irish District Court based on a research study involving seven months of ethnographic observation of a vast number of cases in several different courts, and on a series of interviews with solicitors, barristers and interpreters. In this chapter, an account is provided of the type of language used in court and how the use of language and jargon differs among participants, and the typical or generic District Court case is broken down into its constituent parts in a detailed examination of how the characteristics of District Court language can impact on and be observed in different aspects of procedure.

Chapter 5 examines the constituency which older people’s interest organisations in Ireland seek to represent and how they strive to work with and represent this constituency. It examines member’s perspectives on identity politics and their views on old age welfare benefits. Focusing on the notion of collective identity or identity politics it explores whether identity formation is consolidated or defined in older people’s interest organisations and the implications of this for the organisation of older people’s interests.

Chapter 3 outlines the origins and development of older people’s interest groups. It outlines their evolution in Europe and the United States from the late nineteenth century and the changing nature of older people’s interest representation from the 1950s. The chapter also explores the topic of older people’s interest organisations and political influence and provides a summary of the literature exploring issues of membership and representation.

This chapter describes the idea that Dundrum Town Centre embodied a new set of urban conditions, which were expressed widely and with dramatic effects throughout Ireland during the time known as the 'Celtic Tiger'. In contrast to the general type of shopping mall built in Ireland in the two decades before Dundrum's construction, Dundrum is a dense, confined structure, almost a kilometre long. Dundrum Town Centre was produced through the assemblage of elements and processes driving the production of contemporary urban space. In the experience economy, architecture and design have become a foundational part of place-making and urban branding strategies. At Dundrum, in line with retail-led regeneration strategies found internationally, place-making is expressed through design, marketing, advertising and promotional and cultural events. In redesignating Dundrum, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council understood the scale of the change, and that any new development would rapidly improve its capacity to raise local business taxes.

This chapter explores the research on the economics of dementia in Ireland, which, while still in its infancy, is a growing field of analysis. It begins with a brief overview of the methods applied by economists to address the issues in relation to dementia and dementia care. The chapter describes three examples of these methods in an Irish context. The first presents the results of a cost-of-illness study which explores the economic burden of dementia in Ireland. The second presents the results from a microeconometric study which explores the drivers of formal and informal dementia care costs in Ireland. The third explores the continuing evolution of dementia care in Ireland and presents an argument that health technology assessment will play a central role in informing this process in the future.

This chapter reviews the socioeconomic determinants of mental stress in Ireland. A number of possible indicators of mental stress are covered such as the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) score and also suicide and subjective well-being (SWB). The chapter examines the relationship between social and economic conditions and mental stress for the more modern era and distinguishes between two types of study: cross-section and time-series. Cross-section studies are based on individual-level data and examine the degree to which one observes an association between the incidence of mental stress and individual-level socioeconomic factors. Some examples of individual-level socioeconomic factors are age, gender, principal economic status (PES), education and income. Time-series studies look at aggregate historical data for factors such as suicide or hospital admissions. It also examine the degree to which we observe over time an association between these measures and macroeconomic aggregates such as GDP growth, unemployment, inflation and so on.

This chapter reviews the Equality Authority's (EA) operations in the decade between its establishment in 1999 and the 2008 crisis, summarising its work in assisting complainants, conducting research and communicating with the public. It explains why the Authority was attacked, by examining three questions in more detail. The questions examined are how the Authority's legal work triggered a backlash from powerful sectors of Irish society and how its cases against the state challenged the status of politicians and public officials. The other question examined is how the Authority's plans to conduct inquiries may have threatened other powerful interests. The Equality Acts and the EA's role within them fall within a liberal egalitarian perspective, as they focus on equal opportunity and the toleration of differences. The chapter concludes by arguing that the EA and the Equality Acts are primarily based on liberal egalitarianism rather than equality of condition.

This summarises the nature of the book and what makes it unique, and outlines its main argument. It explains that the book serves as a critique of the cultural turn and of identity politics, and a call for a return to more materialist understandings as a basis for addressing socio-economic inequality. It looks at ideas about racialisation, and includes an explanation of the book’s use of key terms, including ‘working class’.