C. McGettrick, K. O’Donnell, M. O’Rourke, J. A. Smith, and M. Steed, Ireland and the Magdalene Bodies: A Campaign for Justice. London, New York, Dublin: I. B. Tauris Publishers, 2021, 287pp., USD 30 (paperback).
Ireland and the Magdalene Bodies: A Campaign for Justice is a self-proclaimed workbook for social justice campaigners. Its authors who are scholars, barristers, and survivors present the book based on a triple “A” model of academia, advocacy, and activism. I would, however, argue that this book incorporates a 4th and as important “A”, an archive. Michel Foucault (1936–1984) philosopher, theorist, and historian of ideas recognized the relationship between power and knowledge, histories of institutions, and the nature of discourse. His concept of an archive goes beyond the mere repository of historical, normally state documents as records of the past. History, too often, becomes a representation of what the powerful want us to see and to remember, what the state has chosen to document. However, by reading this book through Foucault’s understanding of an archive, this book is the collection of all material traces left behind by a particular historical period and culture (1972: 128–130). The narrative throughout the book underscores the authors’ commitment to making the invisible visible, using an archival investigative approach to expose hidden histories.
The book’s foundation is laid in Chapter 1, delving into the historical context that gave rise to the Magdalene institutions, encompassing religious tensions, the proliferation of religious orders, and the government’s pursuit of moral authority. This sets the stage for a nuanced exploration of the manipulation of women in Irish culture, challenging simplistic narratives and revealing the complex interplay of societal dynamics. The research and work undertaken by the authors then unfold a playbook for activism, offering a guide on how they integrated social media, public relations, interviews and other tools to shine a spotlight on pertinent issues throughout their campaign for justice.
Interwoven throughout the establishment of the author’s social justice campaign (named Justice for Magdalenes (JFM)), the book delves into the extensive measures the state took to bury and obscure past crimes. The authors adopt an archival approach where what was excluded from the official records becomes a crucial part of the narrative. The authors skillfully delineate the silences, the deliberate refusals to speak, and the concealed archive, bringing to light a hidden history that becomes more visible in the context of the present. The narrative sheds light on the culture of silencing women and children, uncovering the profound depths of coercion, completeness, and continuous cancellation of Irish women in its history.
Chapter 4, titled “Anatomy of a Campaign”, reveals the surgical precision with which the Irish state, its obedient civil servants and elected representatives attempted to dissect survivors’ stories and experiences. The establishment of the IDC (Inter-Departmental Committee to establish the facts of State Involvement with the Magdalen laundries) is explored in this chapter, and it becomes apparent that instead of heeding the recommendations of the UNCAT (United Nations Committee against Torture) and facilitating avenues for redress for victims, the IDC erected additional obstacles in their path. The authors convey how the government seemed almost optimistic, aiming to identify a metaphorical cancer that could potentially contaminate other survivors’ narratives. Fortunately, the researchers became skilled surgeons in social justice dissections.
Carefully outlining the author’s adoption of a human rights agenda, they demonstrate the state’s deliberate sluggishness and the entrenchment of government bodies in protecting religious order records. Chapter 5 sheds light on the IDC report’s release, revealing the inadequacies of the state’s official record and the concerted efforts undertaken to portray a historical narrative. The subsequent chapters scrutinize the manner in which the findings of the Quirke report, established to guide the government in victims redress, expose the State’s neglect. The authors also highlight the semantic gymnastics employed by state bodies to evade accountability and redress for the women involved.
The concluding chapters examine the death-related practices provided to the women under Magdalene care. The notable absence of funerals, death certificates, and headstones as archives of life and death events is startling. The troubling narrative of the state’s negligence, lack of accessible records, and reliance on flawed academic reports further unravels in the exploration of exhumed Magdalene burial sites. The struggle to retain a former Magdalene building as a memorial site for inscribing history is depicted, culminating in recognition and commemoration events for survivors in Dublin.
This book not only serves as a guide for social justice campaigners, but also stands as a contemporary archive meticulously documenting the history of the Magdalene laundries. This impactful work exposes the enduring stains left by the state and challenges traditional historical representations. As these institutions successfully laundered society’s linens, the indelible stains bear witness to the historical injustices persisting in contemporary Irish society. The resonance of “Magdalene”, most prominently mentioned in the Bible as a witness to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, paradoxically symbolizes the least represented voices subjected to the authoritarian power of Irish state bodies in the 20th and 21st centuries. Specifically, it represents the women whose names were neither remembered nor memorialized, a stark contrast to the namesake buildings where they were institutionalized.