Theorising Return Migration
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ROBERT SCHUMAN CENTRE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES Tolerance and Cultural diversity in Ireland Concepts and Practices Dr. Iseult Honohan Dr. Nathalie Rougier University College Dublin 2012/22 5. New Knowledge Country Synthesis Reports EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE, FLORENCE ROBERT SCHUMAN CENTRE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES Tolerance and Cultural diversity in Ireland Concepts and Practices DR. ISEULT HONOHAN AND DR. NATHALIE ROUGIER UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN SCHOOL OF POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Work Package 5 – New Knowledge on Tolerance and Cultural Diversity in Europe D5.1 Country Synthesis Reports on Tolerance and Cultural diversity - Concepts and Practices © 2012 Iseult Honohan and Nathalie Rougier This text may be downloaded only for personal research purposes. Additional reproduction for other purposes, whether in hard copies or electronically, requires the consent of the author(s), editor(s). If cited or quoted, reference should be made to the full name of the author(s), editor(s), the title, the research project, the year and the publisher. Published by the European University Institute Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies Via dei Roccettini 9 50014 San Domenico di Fiesole - Italy ACCEPT PLURALISM Research Project, Tolerance, Pluralism and Social Cohesion: Responding to the Challenges of the 21st Century in Europe European Commission, DG Research Seventh Framework Programme Social Sciences and Humanities grant agreement no. 243837 www.accept-pluralism.eu www.eui.eu/RSCAS/ Available from the EUI institutional repository CADMUS cadmus.eui.eu Tolerance, Pluralism and Social Cohesion: Responding to the Challenges of the 21st Century in Europe (ACCEPT PLURALISM) ACCEPT PLURALISM is a Research Project, funded by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Program. The project investigates whether European societies have become more or less tolerant during the past 20 years. In particular, the project aims to clarify: (a) how is tolerance defined conceptually, (b) how it is codified in norms, institutional arrangements, public policies and social practices, (c) how tolerance can be measured (whose tolerance, who is tolerated, and what if degrees of tolerance vary with reference to different minority groups). The ACCEPT PLURALISM consortium conducts original empirical research on key issues in school life and in politics that thematise different understandings and practices of tolerance. Bringing together empirical and theoretical findings, ACCEPT PLURALISM generates a State of the Art Report on Tolerance and Cultural Diversity in Europe, a Handbook on Ideas of Tolerance and Cultural Diversity in Europe, a Tolerance Indicators’ Toolkit where qualitative and quantitative indicators may be used to score each country’s performance on tolerating cultural diversity, and several academic publications (books, journal articles) on Tolerance, Pluralism and Cultural Diversity in Europe. The ACCEPT PLULARISM consortium is formed by 18 partner institutions covering 15 EU countries. The project is hosted by the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies and co-ordinated by Prof. Anna Triandafyllidou. The EUI, the RSCAS and the European Commission are not responsible for the opinion expressed by the author(s). The UCD School of Politics and International Relations is the oldest and the largest of its kind in the Republic of Ireland. Academic staff is engaged in cutting-edge research on a wide variety of political issues, including ethno-political conflict, human rights, and Ireland's role in the European Union. The School is also home to three research centres: the Centre for Development Studies, the Dublin European Institute, and the Institute for British-Irish Studies. Dr. Iseult Honohan is Senior Lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin. Her research interests lie in normative political theory, with a focus on republican theory, both its foundations and its application to areas including citizenship, immigration and diversity. See also: http://www.ucd.ie/spire/staff/honohan/ Dr. Nathalie Rougier holds a Licence, Maîtrise and DEA in Social Psychology from the Université Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand, France, and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Ulster at Jordanstown, Northern Ireland. Her main research interests revolve around issues of identity construal and (re)definition over time and across socio-cultural contexts; inter-group and inter-cultural relations; integration and acculturation processes; stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. Contact details: Dr. Iseult Honohan, School of Politics and International Relations University College Dublin Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Fax: + 353 1 716 1171 E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected] http://www.ucd.ie/politics/ For more information on the Socio Economic Sciences and Humanities Programme in FP7 see: http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/index_en.htm http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/cooperation/socio-economic_en.html Table of Contents List of Abbreviations............................................................................................................................... 3 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 4 Keywords ................................................................................................................................................. 8 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 9 2. Tolerance and Cultural Diversity Discourses in Ireland ................................................................ 12 2.1. National Identity, State Formation and Citizenship ............................................................. 12 2.1.1. National Identity .................................................................................................................. 12 2.1.2. The foundation of the State ................................................................................................. 13 2.1.3. Citizenship policy ................................................................................................................ 14 2.2. Cultural diversity challenges during the last 30 years .......................................................... 15 2.2.1. Ireland’s current population ................................................................................................ 15 2.2.2. Indigenous minorities .......................................................................................................... 20 2.2.3. Immigrant minorities ........................................................................................................... 24 2.3. Preliminary perspectives on tolerance and cultural diversity discourses in Ireland ......... 29 3. The embodiment of tolerance in discourses and practices addressing cultural diversity in Irish schools ................................................................................................................................................... 33 3.1. The education system in Ireland ............................................................................................. 33 Primary education.......................................................................................................................... 33 Second level education .................................................................................................................. 35 3.2. Cultural and religious diversity in school life ........................................................................ 36 3.3. Exploring discourses and practices of tolerance in education in Ireland ............................ 40 3.3.1. Issues related to acceptance/tolerance in the school context ............................................... 40 3.3.2. Focus and methodology of the research on education ......................................................... 43 3.4. Case study 1 – The removal of funding for Protestant fee-paying schools.......................... 45 3.4.1. Protestants in the Republic of Ireland ................................................................................. 45 3.4.2. The ‘event’ that sparked the debates ................................................................................... 47 3.4.3. Analysis of the debates ........................................................................................................ 48 3.4.4. Concluding remarks on the case study ................................................................................ 57 3.5. Case-study 2 – The hijab in Irish schools ............................................................................... 57 3.5.1. Muslims in Ireland ............................................................................................................... 57 3.5.2. The ‘event’ that sparked debates in Irish schools - and beyond .......................................... 59 3.5.3. Analysis of the debates ........................................................................................................ 60 3.5.4. Concluding remarks on the case study ................................................................................ 73 4. The Embodiment of Tolerance in Discourses and Practices addressing Cultural and Religious Diversity in the Political Sphere in Ireland ........................................................................................