Religion, Identity and Politics in Northern Ireland: Boundaries of Belonging and BeliefHas conflict in Northern Ireland kept political dimensions of religion alive, and has religion played a role in fuelling conflict? Conflict in Northern Ireland is not and never will be a holy war. Yet religion is more socially and politically significant than many commentators presume. In fact, religion has remained a central feature of social identity and politics throughout conflict as well as recent change. There has been an acceleration of interest in the relationship between religion, identity and politics in modern societies. Building on this debate, Claire Mitchell presents a challenging analysis of religion in contemporary Northern Ireland, arguing that religion is not merely a marker of ethnicity and that it continues to provide many of the meanings of identity, community and politics. In light of the multifaceted nature of the conflict in Northern Ireland, Mitchell explains that, for Catholics, religion is primarily important in its social and institutional forms, whereas for many Protestants its theological and ideological dimensions are more pressing. Even those who no longer go to church tend to reproduce religious stereotypes of 'them and us'. individuals and groups in Northern Ireland have absorbed religious types of cultural knowledge, belonging and morality, and how they reproduce these as they go about their daily lives. Despite recent religious and political changes, the author concludes that perceptions of religious difference help keep communities in Northern Ireland socially separate and often in conflict with one another. |
Contents
1 Introduction | 1 |
2 The sectarian headcount | 21 |
3 The churches and politics | 39 |
4 Religion as a boundary marker | 59 |
5 Religious practice and community construction | 69 |
6 Religious ideology and politics | 91 |
7 Theology and politics | 117 |
8 Conclusions | 133 |
Glossary of terms | 145 |
Appendix | 149 |
Notes | 155 |
| 161 | |
| 173 | |
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Common terms and phrases
activities analysis anti-Catholicism Anti-Protestantism argues Belfast belonging boundary British Catholic Church Catholic community Catholic identity Catholicism cent Chapter church attendance Church of Ireland churchgoing clergy communal identity concepts conflict in Northern conservative evangelical construct context continues cultural David Trimble denominations dimensions doctrine Drumcree ethnic evangelical Protestants example feel Free Presbyterian Friday Agreement Gerry Adams honest Ulsterman Ian Paisley identification important individuals institutional interpretations interviews loyalist marker meaning moral nationalist nonchurchgoer Northern Ireland Northern Irish Orange Order organizations party people’s perceived play political attitudes politics in Northern Protestant and Catholic Protestant churches Protestant community Protestantism relationship between religion religion and politics religious affiliation religious beliefs religious ideas religious ideology religious practices religious rituals Republic of Ireland republican role says SDLP secular sense significant Sinn Féin social and political social relationships society structures survey symbols theology Ulster unionist united Ireland University College Dublin victimhood Whilst