POLI3403 · Political Science

Peace and Politics in Northern Ireland

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

Class-restricted to juniors and seniors. Against a global backdrop of continuing war, conflict, and ethnic and communal tensions, Northern Ireland is often lauded as an exemplar of how to achieve peace. This course engages with the wider peace and conflict studies literature to examine the causes, practices and consequences of conflict in Northern Ireland and determines the extent to which the Northern Ireland peace process serves as a model for conflict resolution more broadly. The course traces the historical origins of the Northern Ireland conflict and analyses its root causes. It looks at what factors contributed to and explain the political, economic, cultural, societal and identity divisions in Northern Ireland which prove/d so consequential in maintaining violence and conflict over a protracted period. This includes an examination of Northern Irelands (unusual) dual ethnic political party system, and consideration of the role played by key state and non-state (paramilitary) actors during and after the conflict. The significance of negotiation and mediation is captured by tracing the progressive achievement of the peace process, with an emphasis on the roles played by political actors from Northern Ireland, the UK and Republic of Ireland, and by considering the contributions made to peace-making by third parties, including the United States. The 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement (and later agreements) are examined in detail, with a critical emphasis on their consociational features and civil society characteristics. The post-1998 period is explored in terms of the operation, outputs and impact of the post-conflict system of governance. The role of crisis, in particular Brexit, is assessed in terms of its destabilising effect in Northern Ireland and its longer-term ramifications for Northern Irelands constitutional future. The course concludes by examining ongoing policy, political and legacy challenges which continue to play out in contemporary Northern Ireland, with a particular (and critical) emphasis on the concept of reconciliation. In comparative context, this study of Northern Ireland will allow us to take a broad view of the sources of conflict in other settings, and of what factors and conditions can help to contain or eliminate violent conflict in ways that are both durable and just. This means that in addition to focusing on the Northern Ireland case-study, we will simultaneously be considering general trends, key themes, and evolving paradigms in the wider peace and conflict studies domain.