L'homme-nation

Daniel O'Connel, known as the "Liberator" to his countrymen for whom he personified a newfound dignity, transformed Irish nationalism and shook up the political order in the United Kingdom during the first half of the 19th century. For Balzac, he “embodied a people”. A charismatic orator, he spearheaded an unprecedented popular agitation. He was also a member of Parliament, at the forefront of the fight against slavery and he distinguished himself as an international reference at a time when Ireland represented a laboratory of democratic modernity. His career sheds light on a rich experience of collective mobilisation that made Irish Catholics actors in the peaceful conquest of new political spaces. The “O’Connell moment” in Irish history offers a historical perspective on the current debates about incarnation in politics, at a time when representative democracy is in crisis and populism is rising.