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Best of enemies: former combatants working together in N. Ireland
Dr. Alan Bruce
ULS Ireland
7th International Congress on Conflictology and Peace
UOC Open University of Catalonia, Barcelona
2 October 2014
Prequel….Why this sudden bewilderment, this confusion?…
Why are the streets and squares emptying so rapidly,
Everyone else going home in thought?
Because the night has fallen and the barbarians haven’t come.
And some of our men who have just returned from the border say
There are no barbarians any longer.
Now what’s going to happen to us without barbarians?
Those people were a kind of solution.
Waiting for the Barbarians
Constantine Cavafy
N. Ireland: roots of conflict
Where do we start?
The Northern Ireland paradise The occupied and oppressed nation The troublesome isle Shared invisibilities
Contours of a history
Celtic dreamscapesChristian fusion and innovation Invasion, absorption and diversityLand and dispossessionThe laboratory of colonialismFear and self-loathing
Memories, memories…
The only memory is the memory of wound Czeslow Milosz
Victims or perpetrators Disputed pasts What do we know? Who are we? Who can we trust?
History as nightmare
Divided identities Cultural difference Inequality and injustice Ethnic and religious conflict Partition of Ireland 1921 Constant rebellion: the Civil Rights struggle and 1968 Europe’s long war: 1969-1994
The fractured island
The troubled nation
Attempting solutions
Peace process: 1990s Belfast Agreement 1998 Innovative politics: power sharing Policing Shared space Common language: divided identities Divided learning Prejudice, discrimination, sectarianism
Constructing shared learning
Overcoming mistrust Emphasis on those who participated, experienced, suffered Origins of Expac The Messines project Role of EU: Peace and Reconciliation Program Role of US: learning exchange and IFI
Conflicts of Interest
Curriculum developmentWorkshop based seminarsDVD footage – multimediaDistance learning supportCase studiesPersonal testimony: guest lecturersConflict transformation trainingMediation skills
Urban nightmares?
Starting point…..2007
Engaging learners
Community uptakeRepublican groupsLoyalist groups Interaction and conflictAddressing identityComparative analysisAdult education methodology
Modules
Origins and nature of conflictCase study: BalkansConflicts and human rightsCase study: SpainSectarianism and discriminationCase study: European UnionReconciliation and changeCase study/practicum: South Africa
Methodology
Expert external testimony/witnessMedia and filmSite visitsDebateHistory and identityShared learning projectsAcademic inputsLearning support and application
Apprentice Boys’ Hall: Derry
Belfast 2009
Teachers, Derry 2010
Developing linkage: Greece
Developing linkage: school debates
Embedding learning
Accreditation: QUB 2011European application: Balkans, UK, CyprusRights, diversity, communityConflict resolution methodologiesTechnology and e-learningDealing with hatred and conflictSustainable, innovative learningFuture directions
Communities empowered
Relevance Sustainability Cogency Academic depth User friendliness Progression and deepening From reconciliation to transformation The role of human rights Lessons for Europe
From hope to reality
Gràcies!
Dr. Alan Bruce
ULS Dublin
