Research Description

In the Shadow of the Wall: Community Work in Belfast, Northern Ireland

With the cease-fires and disarmaments of major paramilitary organizations, and the political peace process culminating in the 1998 Good Friday Accords, Belfast has drifted out of the international spotlight. The question still remains, however, as to why the walls between Catholic/Nationalist and Protestant/Loyalist neighborhoods continue to be built and fortified. The communities along these “peace lines” have the most at stake. Local community groups that address sectarian issues in post-conflict Belfast employ a variety of disparate strategies, none of which have been solidified as the best way to proceed from the dark days of "The Troubles."

My research focuses on the ethnographic discipline of cultural anthropology. Under the guidance of Dr. Chuan-kang Shih, I traveled to Belfast from May through July 2008 to participate in and observe many of the community groups around the various divided neighborhoods of Belfast. Additionally, I conducted extensive interviews with the leaders, volunteers, and participants in these groups.

My findings will be returned to the participating community groups to facilitate a further move forward in a changing society. Additionally, this research addresses the unique situation of an insular society formerly consumed by internal conflict upon which peace has been imposed. Now, as the various communities attempt to move forward, they must work from the ground-up to raise support for peace-building enterprises with many of the same people and conditions present in the society as existed before the 1998 peace accords. Belfast represents a community in conflict, and community workers are at the forefront of change in these crucial years of tentative stability.