1. Trinity College Dublin Reconciliation in Northern Ireland Religious and Ethno-Nationalist Explanations of the Conflict

2. Trinity College Dublin Learning Outcomes Be able to evaluate ethno-national interpretations of the conflict Be able to evaluate religious interpretations of the conflict To be familiar with the different ways that religion intersects with social and political relationships To be able to critically assess, and substantiate with evidence, to what extent ethno-nationalism or religion might be a cause of conflict in Northern Ireland

3. Trinity College Dublin Key Texts Ruane and Todd, 1996, Dynamics of Conflict in Northern Ireland, chapters 5-7 McGarry and O’Leary, 1995, Explaining Northern Ireland, chapters 5-7 Claire Mitchell, 2006, Religion, Identity and Politics in Northern Ireland Liechty and Clegg, 2001, Moving Beyond Sectarianism, chapter 3 Steve Bruce, 2007, Paisley: Religion and Politics in Northern Ireland

4. Trinity College Dublin Ethno-Nationalism Conflict about the blending of ethnic and national identity, in opposition to each other McGarry and O’Leary, who favour ethno- nationalist interpretations of the conflict, downplay its religious aspects. For them, religion is nothing more than an ‘ethnic marker.’ The conflict is therefore a dispute about two contested national identities – unionism vs. nationalism.

5. Trinity College Dublin Ethno-Nationalism Ethno-Nationalist identities may have a number of components (cultural, religious, language, etc) Fundamentally, national identification and the border matters

6. Trinity College Dublin Ethno-Nationalism Ethno-Nationalist explanations have become amongst the most common in the academic literature on Northern Ireland. Most of these explanations tend to downplay the role of religion.

7. Trinity College Dublin But does religion matter? Partially. Religion is the basis of separate social structures that keep communities apart (Whyte 1991) Partially. The churches work together with the political parties and the two states to keep people divided and maintain their power (Fulton 1991)

8. Trinity College Dublin Does Religion Matter? Partially. Religion is an important source of identity even for Protestants who do not go to church (Wright 1973) Partially. Religion is important for fundamentalists and evangelicals; this has a wider impact on the Protestant community (Bruce 1986, 2007).

9. Trinity College Dublin Does Religion Matter? Partially. Religion has helped to entrench sectarianism; and Christians have not done enough to insure that their churches are more than ‘chaplains to the tribe.’ (Leichty and Clegg 2001) Yes. Religion is important in complex ways that are often not realized; it provides meaning and substance to ‘ethno-national’ identities (Mitchell 2006).

10. Trinity College Dublin Religion as an Ethnic Marker (McGarry & O’Leary) Religion is just a label to distinguish members of one ethnonationalist group from another Church attendance and traditional morality have declined since the 1960s; whilst the conflict has escalated No correlation between the areas most affected by conflict and the intensity of religious conviction (i.e. most religious – rural Protestants – are the least violent)

11. Trinity College Dublin McGarry & O’Leary McGarry and O’Leary are looking for explicit political battles over doctrine or correlations between high levels of religious devotion and political extremism. These are seldom present. Does this make their argument watertight? This analysis ignores how religion may actually provide the meanings of ethno-national identities rather than just mark them out.

12. Trinity College Dublin Whyte: Religion & Social Segregation Segregation by religion in education High levels of endogamy (marriage within one’s religious group) High levels of residential segregation

13. Trinity College Dublin Fulton: Religion & Political Power Religion has acted as an agent in historical struggles for political power The institutional churches have worked with politicians and states to build and maintain two dominant ‘historical blocs’ in Ireland Churches tried to keep their control through influencing political policy and maintaining their grip on the education system This analysis assumes that powerful institutional actors have direct control over human actions.

14. Trinity College Dublin Wright: Religion as Ideology Religious ideas inform Protestants’ everyday understandings of social relationships and perceptions of Catholics. The more segregation between communities, the less information each has of the other. Knowledge comes from socialized teachings, ideas, theories, mythologies – which are often religious in nature

15. Trinity College Dublin Wright: Religion as Ideology Religious ideas overlap with political and economic divisions and this makes them even more important Religion can operate as ideology even for those who are not committed believers

16. Trinity College Dublin Bruce on Paisleyism Bruce (1986) ‘The Northern Ireland conflict is a religious conflict’ (249) evangelicalism is the ‘core’ of Protestant ethnic identity this is what explains Ian Paisley’s career (leader and founder of both the Free Presbyterian Church and the Democratic Unionist Party) even Protestants who don’t share Paisley’s evangelicalism respect evangelical religion

17. Trinity College Dublin Bruce on Paisleyism Bruce (2007) ‘The Northern Ireland conflict is a religious conflict’ (246). Religion provides Paisley with fortitude, hope, clarity of purpose; provides DUP with cohesion ‘you know where you are with the Doc.’ (supporters may not be evangelical, but they see him as constant, reliable, trustworthy. This can be linked in part to his evangelicalism) But the DUP’s recent triumphs are largely secular

18. Trinity College Dublin Liechty & Clegg: Sectarianism as a System The conflict caused/perpetuated by a complex system of sectarianism Definition of sectarianism: “a system of attitudes, actions, beliefs, and structures at personal, communal, and institutional levels which always involves religion, and typically involves a negative mixing of religion and politics. [It] … arises as a distorted expression of positive, human needs especially for belonging, identity, and the free expression of difference and is expressed in destructive patterns of relating: hardening the boundaries between groups, overlooking others, belittling, dehumanising, or demonising others, justifying or collaborating in the domination of others, [and] physically or verbally intimidating or attacking others.” 102- 103

19. Trinity College Dublin Claire Mitchell: Religion &: Identity religion derives social and political significance from five overlapping dimensions 1) relationship between the churches and socio- political power (i.e. relationships with nationalist and unionist politicians) 2) role of religion as the dominant ethnic marker (maintained through segregated education, marriage, housing patterns and social networks)

20. Trinity College Dublin Claire Mitchell: Religion & Identity 3) religion’s role in the construction of communities (esp. Catholicism, the role of the Catholic Church in organising social life and the importance of ritual) 4) religion’s role in the construction of ideologies (esp. Protestantism, concepts such as liberty, the ‘honest Ulsterman’, and anti-Catholicism) 5) relationship between theology and politics (esp. for fundamentalists/evangelicals)

21. Trinity College Dublin Discussion To what extent ethno-nationalism or religion might be a cause of conflict in Northern Ireland? Think about the organisation in which you work. Is it dealing with ethnic, national or religious differences? If it is, are these effective ways of approaching reconciliation in Northern Ireland? If it is not, why do you think it is not?

22. Trinity College Dublin Dynamics of Conflict (Ruane & Todd) Conflict explained in terms of a ‘system of relationships’ and a ‘dynamic of power’ … The dynamic of power: (shifts in this over time; British-Irish states, Protestants-Catholics)

23. Trinity College Dublin The System of Relationships A structure of dominance, dependence and inequality (Irish-British states; Catholic-Protestants in N. Ireland) A tendency towards communal division and polarization A set of differences 1. religion 2. ethnicity 3. colonialism 4. civility vs. barbarism 5. nationalism vs. unionism

24. Trinity College Dublin Think About It … How does Ruane and Todd’s approach differ from external and/or internal approaches? Where do the following explanations ‘fit in?’: – Colonialism – Economic – Ethno-National – Religious