Northern Ireland after the troubles A society in transition

by Coulter, Colin; Murray, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780719074400
• ISBN10: 0719074401
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-09-01
• Publisher: Manchester University Press

Summary

In the last generation, Northern Ireland has undergone a tortuous yet remarkable process of social and political change. This collection of essays aims to capture the complex and shifting realities of a society in the process of transition from war to peace. The book brings together commentators from a range of academic backgrounds and political perspectives. As well as focusing upon those political divisions and disputes that are most readily associated with Northern Ireland, it provides a rather broader focus than is conventionally found in books on the region. It examines the cultural identities and cultural practices that are essential to the formation and understanding of Northern Irish society, but are neglected in academic analyses of the six counties. While the contributors often approach issues from rather different angles, they share a common conviction of the need to challenge the self-serving simplifications and choreographed optimism that frequently define both official discourse and media commentary on Northern Ireland. Taken together, the essays offer a comprehensive and critical account of a troubled society in the throes of change.

Author Biography

Colin Coulter is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Michael Murray is Lecturer in Sociology in the Department of Adult and Community Education, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

Table of Contents

List of tables	p. ix
List of figures	p. x
Notes on contributors	p. xi
Acknowledgement	p. xiv
Introduction	p. 1
Political developments and divisions
Telling stories, facing truths: memory, justice and post-conflict transition	p. 29
From conflict to communal politics: the politics of peace	p. 49
Belfast: a segregated city	p. 73
Spatial planning in contested territory: the search for a place vision after the 'troubles'	p. 88
Policing change: to reform or not to transform?	p. 110
Social identities
Religious change and persistence	p. 135
Gender and ethno-nationalist politics	p. 156
The glacier moves? Economic change and class structure	p. 175
Whiteness, racism and exclusion: a critical race perspective	p. 192
Cultural practices
Still taking sides: sport, leisure and identity	p. 215
From shellshock rock to ceasefire sounds: popular music	p. 232
House training the paramilitaries: the media and the propaganda of peace	p. 253
Index	p. 273
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