Culture and Identity Politics in Northern Ireland

Unionists in Northern Ireland have traditionally been committed to citizenship, whereas nationalists have been concerned with culture. Citizenship has been defined in terms of the politics of universalism where each person has individual rights. Nationalists identify with a communal structure, arguing that equality can only be achieved when group differences receive political affirmation. This book traces the redefinition of aspects of Ulster-British culture, as prompted by the Anglo-Irish agreement of 1985. Since that time Irish communal culture has increasingly been endorsed by officialdom. From an interdisciplinary perspective, Máiréad Nic Craith explores the establishment of the Community Relations Council and the development of a bi-cultural infrastructure in spheres such as language, media and museums, and queries whether these developments have dissipated rather than essentialized communities. As unionists develop an interest in cultural affairs and nationalists acquire the language of citizenship, the author proposes that a more equitable future may lie in the concept of cultural citizenship.