Connecting voices: an introduction to Irish women writers' collaborations and networks, 1880–1940 (Pre-published version)

Abstract

Collaborations and networks are both the modus operandi and focus of investigation in this Special Issue on Irish women writers between 1880 and 1940. This introductory essay sets the scene for the discussions and investigations that follow: we theorise the importance of collaboration and networks for understanding Irish women's writing and publishing, and highlight how contributors draw on extensive archival research that enables the tracing of the intersecting nodes, webs, and relationships between collaborations and networks. The Special Issue platforms the study of Irish women within collaborative sibling, spousal and other partnerships and within the context of movements, organisations, and networks. Our co-authored introduction, a product of our own feminist collaborative approach developed during the project, asserts that as the process of recovery of Irish women's writing continues, the collaborative and networked aspects of women's cultural productions become more central and significant. Their retrieval demands a suite of methodologies alongside a collective approach that pools resources, insights, and knowledge networks.