Unionists, Loyalists, and Conflict Transformation in Northern Ireland

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Marriage & Family, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity, Church, Church & State
Cover of the book Unionists, Loyalists, and Conflict Transformation in Northern Ireland by Lee A. Smithey, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lee A. Smithey ISBN: 9780199924226
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: August 31, 2011
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Lee A. Smithey
ISBN: 9780199924226
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: August 31, 2011
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

In Northern Ireland, a once seemingly intractable conflict is in a state of transformation. Lee A. Smithey offers a grassroots view of that transformation, drawing on interviews, documentary evidence, and extensive field research. He offers essential models for how ethnic and communal-based conflicts can shift from violent confrontation toward peaceful co-existence. Smithey focuses particularly on Protestant unionists and loyalists in Northern Ireland, who maintain varying degrees of commitment to the Protestant faith, the Crown, and and Ulster / British identity. He argues that antagonistic collective identities in ethnopolitical conflict can become less polarizing as partisans adopt new conflict strategies and means of expressing identity. Consequently, the close relationship between collective identity and collective action is a crucial element of conflict transformation. Smithey closely examines attempts in Protestant/unionist/loyalist communities and organizations to develop more constructive means of expressing collective identity and pursuing political agendas that can help improve community relations. Key leaders and activists have begun to reframe shared narratives and identities, making possible community support for negotiations, demilitarization, and political cooperation, while also diminishing out-group polarization. As Smithey shows, this kind of shift in strategy and collective vision is the heart of conflict transformation, and the challenges and opportunities faced by grassroots unionists and loyalists in Northern Ireland can prove instructive for other regions of intractable conflict.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In Northern Ireland, a once seemingly intractable conflict is in a state of transformation. Lee A. Smithey offers a grassroots view of that transformation, drawing on interviews, documentary evidence, and extensive field research. He offers essential models for how ethnic and communal-based conflicts can shift from violent confrontation toward peaceful co-existence. Smithey focuses particularly on Protestant unionists and loyalists in Northern Ireland, who maintain varying degrees of commitment to the Protestant faith, the Crown, and and Ulster / British identity. He argues that antagonistic collective identities in ethnopolitical conflict can become less polarizing as partisans adopt new conflict strategies and means of expressing identity. Consequently, the close relationship between collective identity and collective action is a crucial element of conflict transformation. Smithey closely examines attempts in Protestant/unionist/loyalist communities and organizations to develop more constructive means of expressing collective identity and pursuing political agendas that can help improve community relations. Key leaders and activists have begun to reframe shared narratives and identities, making possible community support for negotiations, demilitarization, and political cooperation, while also diminishing out-group polarization. As Smithey shows, this kind of shift in strategy and collective vision is the heart of conflict transformation, and the challenges and opportunities faced by grassroots unionists and loyalists in Northern Ireland can prove instructive for other regions of intractable conflict.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Our Secret Constitution by Lee A. Smithey
Cover of the book Prevention Diaries by Lee A. Smithey
Cover of the book The Multilingual Internet by Lee A. Smithey
Cover of the book Oliver Cromwell: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Lee A. Smithey
Cover of the book Strategic Leadership by Lee A. Smithey
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Education by Lee A. Smithey
Cover of the book Fundamentals of HIV Medicine 2019 by Lee A. Smithey
Cover of the book Verdi by Lee A. Smithey
Cover of the book Cosmopolis by Lee A. Smithey
Cover of the book Magnificent and Beggar Land by Lee A. Smithey
Cover of the book The Image of Political Power in the Reign of Nerva, AD 96-98 by Lee A. Smithey
Cover of the book The Economy of the Word by Lee A. Smithey
Cover of the book European Integration and Supranational Governance by Lee A. Smithey
Cover of the book College Music Curricula for a New Century by Lee A. Smithey
Cover of the book Medjugorje and the Supernatural by Lee A. Smithey
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy