Multidimensional Resistance on a Divided Island

My Venture Grant project entailed a journey to the Republic of Ireland and to Northern Ireland, where I aimed to observe and document representations of nonviolent resistance in the public memory.

I visited museums and public places of importance extensively in both Dublin and Galway, the two biggest Irish cities. While oral interviews were not a formal part of my research, it was hard to avoid the experiential component of hearing people talk about their experiences during the troubles. Especially in Northern Ireland, both Catholics and Protestants readily discussed the violent period amongst each other and with me.

While my work on this project does not aim to contribute to any formal body of academic research, I was able to draw conclusions for my own academic interest and for the goal of completing a capstone project for my Nonviolence minor. I found that, while Ireland and Northern Ireland are known on a global scale for violent struggle, many non-violent tactics and movements are celebrated and remembered there. Public memorial of violent incidents is intertwined and cannot be divorced from remembrance of the strikes, boycotts, union, and suffragette movements that occurred before and during the Troubles. This begs the question: can nonviolent tactics employed by an organization also engaged in violent behavior be considered Nonviolence?

I had a fantastic time in Ireland. This project was personally very impactful for me for two main reasons: for one, it was an enriching educational experience. I was able to connect in person with the historical monuments to a struggle that I had previously only read about in class. The value of spending time with residents of Northern Ireland that lived through the Troubles cannot be understated. Secondly, this grant allowed me to complete this project as a capstone for my Nonviolence minor, fulfilling all of my requirements for that program. 

Northern Ireland is at a political turning point. Irish Catholic residents, represented by the Sinn Féin party, are for the first time no longer a minority in government. Many people there see a unified 32 Counties of Ireland within the next 20 years. And, with Brexit and the institution of an Irish Sea border dividing Unionists, there is a very foreseeable pathway to this happening politically. Violent times, however, are not that far in the rear view. Many who engaged in organized violence during the Troubles are alive and worry that the area could again spiral into conflict. I do not necessarily believe that academic work is the solution to this potential threat, but more agree with what many there seem to believe, which is that political organizing and responsible actions on the part of the United Kingdom will be essential to see a reunified 32 Counties. 

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