The Persistence of Social Power in Post-Catholic Ireland: A New Historicist Study of Sally Rooney's Normal People

Shahra, Husein Asadus; Karina Hanum Luthfia

doi:10.15294/rainbow.v15i2.57332

Open access Journal

The Persistence of Social Power in Post-Catholic Ireland: A New Historicist Study of Sally Rooney's Normal People

Rainbow: Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies · Vol. 15 No. 2 (2026) · pp. 10–19

DOI: 10.15294/rainbow.v15i2.57332
ISSN: 2721-4540, 2252-6323
Published: 2026-08-03
Publisher: Universitas Negeri Semarang
Language: eng
License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Abstract

This study aims to examine how social power persists in post-Catholic Ireland as represented in Sally Rooney's Normal People (2018). Set against the backdrop of Ireland’s transition from a society strongly influenced by Catholic authority to a more liberal and secular social order, the novel reveals that the decline of religious influence does not necessarily eliminate mechanisms of social control. Using a qualitative descriptive method and Stephen Greenblatt’s New Historicist approach, this study analyzes how experiences of silence and shame function as manifestations of social power within contemporary Irish society. The findings indicate that power no longer operates primarily through religious institutions but through family structures, class hierarchies, educational environments, and cultural norms that shape individual behaviour and self-perception. These mechanisms are represented through the experiences of Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron, whose lives reflect the continuing influence of social regulation in post-Catholic Ireland. This study argues that secularization in Ireland has transformed rather than eliminated social control, revealing a gap between the image of a progressive society and the persistence of power relations in everyday life.

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Co-author	Organisation	Joint articles
Pratama Bayu Widagdo	Affiliation unknown	1
Nadia Sigi Prameswari	Affiliation unknown	1
Maria Krisnawati	Affiliation unknown	1
Juliasih Juliasih	Affiliation unknown	1
Nur Saktiningrum	Affiliation unknown	1

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/rainbow/oai, first harvested 6 Nov 2026, last seen 8 Nov 2026.

Original metadata (oai_dc)

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	<dc:title xml:lang="en">The Persistence of Social Power in Post-Catholic Ireland: A New Historicist Study of Sally Rooney's Normal People</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Shahra, Husein Asadus</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Karina Hanum Luthfia</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Contemporary Ireland</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">New Historicism</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Normal People</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Sally Rooney</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Social Power</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">This study aims to examine how social power persists in post-Catholic Ireland as represented in Sally Rooney's Normal People (2018). Set against the backdrop of Ireland’s transition from a society strongly influenced by Catholic authority to a more liberal and secular social order, the novel reveals that the decline of religious influence does not necessarily eliminate mechanisms of social control. Using a qualitative descriptive method and Stephen Greenblatt’s New Historicist approach, this study analyzes how experiences of silence and shame function as manifestations of social power within contemporary Irish society. The findings indicate that power no longer operates primarily through religious institutions but through family structures, class hierarchies, educational environments, and cultural norms that shape individual behaviour and self-perception. These mechanisms are represented through the experiences of Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron, whose lives reflect the continuing influence of social regulation in post-Catholic Ireland. This study argues that secularization in Ireland has transformed rather than eliminated social control, revealing a gap between the image of a progressive society and the persistence of power relations in everyday life.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Universitas Negeri Semarang</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2026-08-03</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:type xml:lang="en">Peer-reviewed Article</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/rainbow/article/view/57332</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.15294/rainbow.v15i2.57332</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">Rainbow: Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies; Vol. 15 No. 2 (2026): Special Issue ; 10-19</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2721-4540</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2252-6323</dc:source>
	<dc:source>10.15294/rainbow.v15i2</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/rainbow/article/view/57332/10900</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2026 Husein Asadus Shahra, Karina Hanum Luthfia (Author)</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</dc:rights>
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