Identity, Rights and Constitutional Transformation by Patrick J. Hanafin Melissa S Williams

Author:Patrick J. Hanafin, Melissa S Williams [Patrick J. Hanafin, Melissa S Williams]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781138314887
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2020-06-30T00:00:00+00:00

Manifestations of the ‘Cultural Conflict’2

One of the central ways in which this cultural conflict is played out is through the imagery and symbolism invoked by the advocates of the various paramilitary organisations in the province. The history or genealogy of the loyalist and nationalist paramilitary organisations bear the hallmarks of the cultural tags and symbols which have been instrumental in ensuring that the two communities remain divided on more than simply religious terms (See Bruce, 1994; O'Brien, 1995). The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) reinforce their 'Britishness' by staking their claims to legitimacy on the back of culturally significant moments in British history. For instance, the sacrifices made by the 36th Ulster Division at the Battle of the Somme in the First World War stand as testimony of Ulster's loyalty to the Union. Combining Northern Ireland's political narrative with significant moments in British history is meant to reinforce the 'Britishness' of Northern Ireland. Thus, loyalists who laid down their lives in the two World Wars for Britain believed themselves to be culturally 'British' and therefore 'defenders' of the 'Homeland'. The importance of the role of this sort of symbolism is writ large in the murals that decorate loyalist strongholds in the province. The paintings of soldiers in battle dress circa 1914 and 1939 are seen standing alongside paramilitaries clothed in balaklavas holding M-16s against a background of regimental insignias and decorations. The importance of this sort of lineage cannot be underestimated. Present day loyalist paramilitaries, despite being labelled terrorists and the like by the international community, as well as by the British Government, see themselves standing in a long line of patriots who, in defending 'Ulster' from the 'Irish', continue to defend the 'Realm' and the 'Union' from those who would abolish or obliterate it (i.e. the Northern Nationalists and the Irish Republic).

Of course, loyalist paramilitaries are not alone in utilising cultural symbols as justifications for their role in the conflict. Nationalist paramilitaries are also adept at reinforcing their own forms of cultural symbolism, which are derived from centuries-old cultural narratives. The cultural and political claims symbolised in nationalist murals resonate with notions of cultural exclusivity. For example, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) utilises symbols of cultural difference, like their use of Gaelic, to reinforce their cultural 'otherness'. Other cultural symbols invoked in nationalist murals include extensive use of the Tricolour, Celtic visual images and the use of significant historical moments in Ireland's past like the Easter Rising in Dublin (1916). Thus, invoking images of cultural difference underpin nationalists' attempts to bolster their political claim as defenders of 'Irish' culture against the juggernaut of 'British' 'oppression' and 'domination'. In addition, it is also relatively easy for nationalists to point to the Republic to drive home the fact that there is a different cultural tradition alive and well on the island. This reinforces nationalists' arguments that aver that Ireland's independence can be won through British withdrawal - as it was in 1921. Like loyalist paramilitaries then,

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