Internal colonialism revisited

Internal Colonialism attacked elements of the diffusion theory and provided an alternative explanation of nationalism. Like its diffusionist predecessor, the new theory assumed that solidary groups were formed by individuals sharing common material interests. Unlike the diffusion theory, however, Internal Colonialism suggested that under certain conditions nationalism could continue to persist, if not thrive, in the very midst of industrial society. The origins of the southern Irish cultural division of labor were to be found in the Cromwellian Settlement of 1642, which expropriated all Catholic landowners and distributed their property to Protestant Englishmen. More revealing was the book’s reception within the United Kingdom and Ireland. As might be expected, the dominant English reaction was indifference: the Times Literary Supplement actually refused to review it, and the leading sociology journal ignored it.