Rethinking Northern Ireland Culture, Ideology and Colonialism

Rethinking Northern Ireland provides a coherent and critical account of the Northern Ireland conflict. Most writing on Northern Ireland is informed by British propaganda, unionist ideology or currently popular 'ethnic conflict' paradigm which allows analysts to wallow in a fascination with tribal loyalty. Rethinking Northern Ireland sets the record straight by reembedding the conflict in Ireland in the history of an literature on imperialism and colonialism.

Written by Irish, Scottish and English women and men it includes material on neglected topics such as the role of Britain, gender, culture and sectarianism. It presents a formidable challenge to the shibboleths of contemporary debate on Northern Ireland. A just and lasting peace necessitates thorough re-evaluation and Rethinking Northern Ireland provides a stimulus to that urgent task.

Notes on contributors Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Rethinking Northern Ireland (David Miller) Part One: Explanations, Ideologies and Strategies 1. Colonialism and Academic Representations of the Troubles (David Miller) 2. Religion, Ethnicity and Colonialism and Explanations of the Northern Ireland Conflict (Pamela Clayton) 3. Irish Nationalism and the Conflict in Northern Ireland (Joseph Ruane and Jennifer Todd) 4. 'New Unionism', British Nationalism and the Prospects for a Negotiated Settlement in Northern Ireland (Liam O'Dowd) 5. Walking Backwards into the Sunset: British policy and the Insecurity of Northern Ireland (Mike Tomlinson) Part Two: Structures, Spaces and Struggles 6. Rethinking National Problems in a Transnational Context (James Anderson) 7. Politics, the Economy and Peace in Northern Ireland (Ronnie Munck and Douglas Hamilton) 8. Feminism and Nationalism in Northern Ireland (Carol Coulter) 9. Is Sectarianism Racism? Theorising the Racism/Sectarianism Interface (Robbie McVeigh) Part Three: Culture, Conflict and Representation 10. Don't Mention the War: Culture in Northern Ireland (Ronan Bennett) 11. Representing Gender and National Identity (Sarah Edge) 12. Modernising History: The real politik of heritage and cultural tradition in Northern Ireland (Desmond Bell) 13. What's Wrong with Multiculturalism? Liberalism and the Irish Conflict (Bill Rolston) Bibliography Index

• A comprehensive alternative to current commentary on Northern Ireland
• Includes contributions from leading authors based in Ireland (North and South), Scotland and England
• Chapters focus on settler-colonialism, Ulster unionism, Irish nationalism, British strategy and policy, economics, political spaces, racism and sectarianism, gender, culture and representation and the role of academics in the conflict