Resisting the Melting Pot Through Ethnic Newspapers: A Case Study of the Irish Echo

Abstract

This dissertation is a case study of the Irish Echo, an Irish ethnic weekly newspaper that began publishing in New York City in 1928. The Irish ethnic community is unique because it operates within two cultural spheres: Irish society and American society. The purpose of this case study is to identify how ethnic newspaper function and how this function has changed over time. The study attempts to explain the role of the ethnic newspaper in balancing the needs of immigrants to adapt to American culture while maintaining ties to their native country. The author uses a qualitative approach combining oral history, in depth interviewing, documentary evidence and textual analysis. The study finds that the Irish Echo acts as a functional intersect that provides adhesion and structure through the operations of bonding and bridging. It performs these functions through political advocacy, vocal criticism of discrimination, and guides in assimilation and character building.