Remembering better in a divided society

: the use of public space during the decade of centenaries

Abstract

Northern Ireland is a divided society haunted by its past. Through commemoration and other forms of remembrance we continually reaffirm those memories and consolidate their grip on how communities engage with each other. And, through our inability to use that past constructively, our political life is continually hobbled robbing us of an ability to shape an inclusive future.

This work explores how difficult and contested heritage was negotiated in public space during the Decade of Centenaries. A qualitative research methodology has been undertaken utilising interviews and case-studies of two of the most important of our public spaces, Belfast City Hall and the Ulster Museum. During this period both institutions developed distinct but parallel approaches to how the story of Belfast and Northern Ireland’s past was told. Each, in their own way, utilised the Principles for Remembering, which were developed to support thinking about the past.

This work suggests that the past can and should be engaged with in an authentic way without having to ignore its most challenging aspects, pointing out that not to do so could open up fissures leading to damaging consequences at a future date. I show how this can be done through the development of spaces of engagement which are agonistic and plural. I argue that in a divided society there is a responsibility to work towards the common good when shaping how the past is remembered in public spaces. This work also shows that this can be done with political agreement and the right process in place and proposes a framework for remembering better which could have a wider application within Northern Ireland and farther afield. It should be of interest in any society where the past is the dominant feature in the politics of today.

Date of Award	Jun 2021
Original language	English
Sponsors	National Lottery Heritage Fund
Supervisor	Elizabeth Crooke (Supervisor) & Maire Braniff (Supervisor)