Reconciliation in a World of Diversity: The Search for a Shared Future by Peace and Reconciliation Organisations in the Local Context of Belfast

Abstract

This research examines the pursuit of reconciliation by different peace and reconciliation organisations within the local socio-economic and political milieu of post-conflict Belfast, Northern Ireland. Northern Irish society has been greatly impacted by the so-called “Troubles”, an intractable armed conflict from approximately 1969 until 1998. Today, fifteen years after the signing of the Good Friday Peace Agreement, a strong sense of sectarianism is still very much present, which can be seen as a legacy of the conflict. This research shows that many different peacebuilding and reconciliation organisations exist in the current context of Belfast that take on different approaches, pursue different goals and incorporate many different activities. A division has been made between organisations that take on a direct approach and an indirect approach in pursuing reconciliation. The direct approach is an approach where sectarian attitudes, behaviour and other conflict related problems are being addressed and tried to be solved with explicit acknowledgement of the problems while the indirect approach addresses issues of sectarianism, as well as other types of discrimination like racism, indirectly by means of non-conflict related activities and platforms.