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Acknowledgments
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xi Acknowledgments O V E R T H E C O U R S E O F W O R K I N G O N T H I S B O O K , I have been lucky enough to encounter many people who have freely given their support as friends, family, colleagues, and scholars. Without such generosity , this project would not have been possible. It has been a privilege to work with the outstanding people at Syracuse University Press. I am especially grateful to Irish series editor James MacKillop for his faith in this project. I would also like to thank acquisitions editor Jennika Baines for her patience and guidance through the publication process and Annalise Finnegan, who saw this project through its early phases. Finally, my thanks as well to Kelly Lynne Balenske, Lisa Renee Kuerbis, Fred Wellner , Mary Petrusewicz, Kay Steinmetz, and Marcia Hough for their many contributions to the production of this book. This book emerged out of twin interests—Irish film and postcolonial theory—that were sparked early in my graduate career by dynamic scholars. My ideas took shape initially in the form of a dissertation for the cinema studies department at New York University, where the intellect of my advisor , Robert Stam, was matched only by his warmth and generosity. I am deeply indebted to him for his critical input and kindness and grateful for the privilege of having worked with him. Equally important to my time at NYU was Luke Gibbons, who managed to be present in New York as a source of feedback and ideas even while being thousands of miles away in Dublin. Like Bob, his warmth, humor, and encouragement made working on my dissertation feel more like a process of discovery and less like work. In addition, faculty at NYU and elsewhere provided valuable insight during the early stages of this project, especially David Lloyd, Anna McCarthy, and Chris Straayer, all of whom served on my dissertation committee. xii ◎ Acknowledgments The transformation of this project into a book would not have been possible without the tireless support, guidance, and critical feedback I received from four of my colleagues in the English department at George Mason University. Denise Albanese, Amal Amireh, Tamara Harvey, and Alok Yadav all generously made time in overburdened schedules to read and respond to my work. Their insights and questions pushed me to think beyond my own intellectual boundaries, and their encouragement gave me the energy to work whenever my own faith in this project began to diminish. Their mentoring and friendship have been and continue to be invaluable. Thank you, with all my heart. I was fortunate to find a position in a warm and supportive department at GMU. I am grateful to Robert Matz for his savvy advice and encouraging feedback. I would also like to thank other members of the department faculty, especially Deborah Kaplan, Devon Hodges, Michael Malouf, and Cynthia Fuchs for their many and varied contributions. In addition to friends and colleagues at Mason, I’ve been lucky to know Matthew Fee, Roger Hallas, Carla Marcantonio, and Jeanette Roan, who all took the time to read and comment on different chapter drafts over the years. I thank them for their effort, their insights, and, most important, their friendship. Much of the research for this book was done in Ireland, and I would like to acknowledge the people who made my work there possible. I thank the staff of the Irish Film Centre and the National Library in Dublin and the librarians at the Linen Hall Library in Belfast. I am deeply grateful to Margo Harkin for taking the time to answer my questions and discuss her work, and I would like to thank John Byrne for being equally accessible. My trips to Ireland would not have been possible without the generous hospitality of friends and their relatives who opened their homes to me (sometimes without even having met me before), shared stories, ideas, and insights, and pointed me in the direction of films I might have otherwise missed, given the unfortunate inaccessibility of much Irish cinema. Orla Ryan and Brian Hand have been amazing friends, and their impressive intellects have challenged me and helped to shape this project. I am also deeply and forever grateful to the Neary family on both sides of the Atlantic . Their important presence and boundless generosity in my life has [44.221.46.132] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 22:50 GMT) Acknowledgments ◎ xiii been a blessing...