Suchergebnisse

An examination of the communal conflict in Northern Ireland contends that there has been an increasing openness to emancipatory ideas in the peace process. The focus is on how changes in the conditions of conflict have made it possible for many of the political parties to combine emancipatory aims & rhetoric with realist strategies. The Belfast Agreement of 10 April 1998 is described as a product of these changes. It offered both an institutional framework for managing conflict & a path for transforming the conditions of conflict by identifying the social & cultural foundations of conflicting interests & identities. An overview of the origins of the Northern Ireland conflict is followed by a look at the underlying causes of the conflict; its evolution over time; & the historical context surrounding the emergence of the Belfast Agreement. It is argued that tensions & contradictions in the current settlement can only be addressed by strengthening emancipatory elements of the process. The potential for an emancipatory approach to build on & sustain the settlement is discussed. J. Lindroth