Root Shock as Social Discipline Marginalization and Racism in Irish Social, Asylum, and Refugee Policies

Abstract

Root shock is a predictable consequence of several sets of social policies in Ireland. This paper will look at how root shock is used to discipline one-parent families and people seeking asylum in Ireland. Changes to bene fits and housing systems since the global economic crisis of 2008 has seen one-parent families suffer the most intense root shock through deprivation and homelessness. People seeking asylum have already suffered the most awful root shock while experiencing racism and suspicion from the Irish state, limiting their integration and overall safety. While the Irish state continues to fail to support either group, divisions deepen. The consequences of root shock have created the space for a politics of hate, which pits people seeking refuge against homeless one-parent families and allowed the far right in Ireland to weaponize the housing crisis.