Unionists, Loyalists, and Conflict Transformation in Northern Ireland by Smithey Lee A

Author:Smithey, Lee A. [Smithey, Lee A.]
Language: nld
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

■ c h a n g i n g p r a c t i c e a n d i d e n t i t y c h a n g e

To say that the Orange Order is participating in confl ict transformation through

the initiatives detailed above is not to say it is promoting radical reconciliation ini-

tiatives or fundamentally revising Christian doctrine and unionist ideology.

Whether changes in institutional practice refl ect and contribute to changes in

collective identity is important for assessing contributions to confl ict transforma-

tion. I have proposed that much of confl ict transformation involves the slow rein-

terpretation of collective identities through the incremental modifi cation of

collective activities. Innovations in long-held rituals introduce opportunities for

the reframing and performance of group priorities and myths. It can be a challeng-

ing process to study as its effi

cacy lies largely in its reliance on tradition and per-

ceptions of continuity while innovations are developed behind closed doors before

they are introduced. Th

e acceptance or rejection of innovative discourses is an

aggregated process with outcomes based on contention within and between orga-

nizations. Much as astronomers study stars indirectly by observing the gravitational

impact they have on neighboring celestial bodies, contention off ers sociologists

opportunities to observe identity change, somewhat obliquely, as individuals and

organizations compete over the adoption of novel activities.

In a remarkably insightful article, Todd ( 2005 ) addresses “changes in collective

categories of identity” that are possible because identities are not monolithic

constructs but are multifaceted, allowing for the innovative combination and

rearranging of elements under pressure from changing social pressures. However,

she emphasizes “moments of intentionality”:

Identity formation and change is thus a continuous process that involves a considerable

degree of intentionality. It takes place by the incorporation of new elements of embodied

meaning and value, or the rearrangement of old. New elements may be created, not

ex nihilo but by the choice to foreground particular practices and relations rather than

others, so that over time the meanings embedded in these practices become an integral

part of the self, while others fade. (p. 437)

Under conditions of signifi cant social change and shift ing power relations, various

strategies of identifi cation may be adopted to deal with the dissonance created

when new social circumstances no longer align with the old identity schema (see

also Ganiel 2008a :15–20). Todd ( 2005 :440) off ers six “directions of change in

collective identity categories” that fall across a matrix charting the extent of change

in identity categories and the degree of coherence or tension between new prac-

tices required by the new social order and the dominant identity category (see

table 5.1 ).

Reaffi

rmation “reaffi

rms the existing core binary oppositions and welcomes or

resists change in their name” (

Todd

2005

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