Sectarian and Nonsectarian Violence: Mothers' Appraisals of Political Conflict in Northern Ireland

Overview

Journal Peace Confl

Date 2015 Oct 20

PMID 26478692

Citations 10

Authors

Laura K Taylor

Christine E Merrilees

Andrea Campbell

Peter Shirlow

Ed Cairns

Marcie C Goeke-Morey

Alice C Schermerhorn

E Mark Cummings

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Past research on peace and conflict in Northern Ireland has focused on politically-motivated violence. However, other types of crime (i.e., nonsectarian) also impact community members. To study the changing nature of violence since the signing of the Belfast Agreement in Northern Ireland the current study used qualitative methods to distinguish between nonsectarian and sectarian antisocial behavior. Analyses were conducted using the Constant Comparative Method to illuminate thematic patterns in focus groups with Catholic and Protestant mothers from segregated Belfast neighborhoods. Participants differentiated between nonsectarian and sectarian violence; the latter was further distinguished into two dimensions - overt acts and intergroup threat. Although both nonsectarian and sectarian antisocial behavior related to insecurity, participants described pulling together and increased ingroup social cohesion in response to sectarian threats. The findings have implications for the study of violence and insecurity as experienced in the everyday lives of mothers, youth, and families in settings of protracted conflict.

Citing Articles

Youth in Northern Ireland: Linking Violence Exposure, Emotional Insecurity, and the Political Macrosystem.

Townsend D, Taylor L, Merrilees C, Furey A, Goeke-Morey M, Shirlow P Monogr Soc Res Child Dev. 2020; 85(4):7-123.

PMID: 33184897 PMC: 7702086. DOI: 10.1111/mono.12423.

Impact of political conflict on trajectories of adolescent prosocial behavior: Implications for civic engagement.

Taylor L, Merrilees C, Baird R, Goeke-Morey M, Shirlow P, Cummings E Dev Psychol. 2018; 54(9):1785-1794.

PMID: 30058816 PMC: 6110962. DOI: 10.1037/dev0000552.

A Social-Ecological, Process-Oriented Perspective on Political Violence and Child Development.

Cummings E, Goeke-Morey M, Merrilees C, Taylor L, Shirlow P Child Dev Perspect. 2016; 8(2):82-89.

PMID: 26877765 PMC: 4749157. DOI: 10.1111/cdep.12067.

Youth in contexts of political violence: A developmental approach to the study of youth identity and emotional security in their communities.

Merrilees C, Taylor L, Goeke-Morey M, Shirlow P, Cummings E Peace Confl. 2015; 20(1):26-38.

PMID: 26633936 PMC: 4664468. DOI: 10.1037/a0035581.

Political Violence and Adolescent Out-group Attitudes and Prosocial Behaviors: Implications for Positive Inter-group Relations.

Taylor L, Merrilees C, Goeke-Morey M, Shirlow P, Cairns E, Cummings E Soc Dev. 2015; 23(4):840-859.

PMID: 26457005 PMC: 4594955. DOI: 10.1111/sode.12074.

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