Synopses & Reviews
An examination of the fraught dynamics of identity politics in and between Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State/ Republic of Ireland from 1921 to the present. This book provides a new understanding of the 'Troubles' and the peace process. Commemorations and the influence of history receive special attention, as does the European context.
Review
'It is refreshing to encounter a book that explains the way the modern histories of the two Irelands -north and south- have intertwined and formed a dizzyingly self-reinforcing feedback system: sometimes for the better, mostly for the worse. Professor Brian Walker is one of the few writers who can catch this interaction with clarity and a strong and fair sense of evidence. I recommend this book highly to anyone who cares about where Ireland has been - and where it is going.'- Donald Harman Akenson, Douglas Professor of History, Queen's University, Canada
Review
'It is refreshing to encounter a book that explains the way the modern histories of the two Irelands -north and south- have intertwined and formed a dizzyingly self-reinforcing feedback system: sometimes for the better, mostly for the worse. Professor Brian Walker is one of the few writers who can catch this interaction with clarity and a strong and fair sense of evidence. I recommend this book highly to anyone who cares about where Ireland has been - and where it is going.'- Donald Harman Akenson, Douglas Professor of History, Queen's University, Canada
Synopsis
This ground-breaking political history of the two Irish States provides unique new insights into the 'Troubles' and the peace process. It examines the impact of the fraught dynamics between the competing identities of the Nationalist-Catholic-Irish Community on the one hand and the Unionist-Protestant-British community on the other.
About the Author
BRIAN M. WALKER Professor of Irish Studiesat theSchool of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy, Queen's University Belfast, UK. He is a former director of the Institute of Irish Studies at Queen's. His publications include a number of books on Irish elections and politics, such as Dancing to History's Tune: History, Myth and Politics in Ireland.
Table of Contents
Introduction
PART I
Action and Reaction: Majority Identities, 1921-60
Parallel Universes: Minority Identities, 1921-60
Remembering and Forgetting: Commemorations and Identity, 1921-60
PART II
Conflict and Conciliation: Identities and Change, 1960-2010
Remembering and Reclaiming: Commemorations and Identity, 1960-2010
The Past and the Present: History, Identity and the Peace Process
Conclusion
Endnotes
Bibliography