From colonisation to collaboration: challenges of repositioning Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, within its community

Citation: Cameron-Coen, Simone, and Shane Allwright. “From Colonisation to Collaboration: Challenges of Repositioning Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, within Its Community.” In The Civic University: The Policy and Leadership Challenges, edited by John Goddard, Ellen Hazelkorn, Louise Kempton, and Paul Vallance, 160–79. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2016. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781784717728.00016.

In “From Colonisation to Collaboration,” Simone Cameron-Coen and Shane Allwright examine the historical legacies and contemporary challenges of positioning Trinity College Dublin as a civic university embedded within its community. The chapter addresses tensions arising from Trinity’s colonial foundations, religious exclusivity, and physical detachment from surrounding inner-city areas.

Highlighting initiatives such as the Trinity Access Programmes and the establishment of Science Gallery Dublin, which physically opens up the campus and fosters youth engagement with research, the authors chart the university’s efforts to foster inclusion, public engagement, and social responsibility. These developments illustrate a shift from institutional detachment toward collaborative community integration.