Belfast: Segregation, Violence and the City

by Peter Shirlow, Brendan Murtagh

Paris, Jerusalem and Belfast are cities that are shaped by political violence, death and the injustices caused by segregated living. But divided cities are becoming places within which policy makers and politicians project an image of normality despite the facts of social injustice, victimhood and harm. It is a commonly held view that the city of Belfast is emerging out of conflict and into a new era of tolerance and transformation. This book challenges this viewpoint. The authors pinpoint how international peace accords, such as the Belfast Agreement, are gradually eroded as conflict shifts into a stale and repetitive pattern of ethnically-divided competition over resources. This book offers a vivid portrait of how segregation, lived experience and fear are linked in a manner that undermines democratic accountability. The authors argue that the control of place remains the most important weapon in the politicisation of communities and the reproduction of political violence. Segregation provides the laboratory within which sectarianism continues to grow. Examining the implications of these social divisions, the authors draw upon a wide international literature and provide insights that will be useful to students of geography, planning, politics, sociology and peace studies.

Genres: Ireland, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published May 20, 2006

Reviews

[Rachel Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book to help those interested in the Troubles and/or Belfast better understand the impact that years of paramilitary conflict had on the city. I would recommend watching a documentary as a companion to this book - like Voices from the Grave (which, by the way, is available on YouTube for free) to help you explore more of the specifics.

I found the writing to be more academic throughout, but not to the point that it tired me or discouraged me from reading. It made me appreciate the role of space, walls, and barriers on the segregation that still exists in the city, and furthermore to better understand the role that this segregation plays in both nationalists' and unionists' daily lives (limits both groups' ability and willingness to go grocery shopping, use rec centers, get to and hold jobs, access health care, and find adequate housing).