A place of safety: Rethinking "everyday" security and peacebuilding in Northern Ireland

Abstract

The latter half of the twentieth century in Northern Ireland was defined by "the Troubles", a brutal sectarian conflict between the country's Catholic and Protestant populations. Since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, post-conflict peacebuilding in Northern Ireland has aimed to assist the country's ongoing transition to 'normality' after decades of violence and terror. Official peacebuilding practices have for the most part relied on liberal orthodoxy that conceives of peace in terms of non-violence, modernisation, and development. As a result, the dominant focus has been on creating secure, economically successful spaces in which the markers of violence have been erased. While this approach has succeeded in transforming certain areas such as Belfast city centre, in the marginalised neighbourhoods of the interface the continued presence of peace barriers is seen as an ongoing symbol of sectarianism and a major obstacle to change. While taking down the walls is one of the main targets of policymakers, progress so far has been gradual due to ongoing distrust and insecurity on the part of locals. Consequently, peacebuilding in interface areas has emphasised the importance of healing sectarian divides through ongoing good relations initiatives. The nature of the state's approach to peacebuilding,...