Unity Amid Division
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Renée van Abswoude Unity amid Division Unity amid Division The local impact of and response to the Brexit-influenced looming hard border by ordinary citizens in a border city in Northern Ireland Renée van Abswoude Unity amid Division Credits cover design: Corné van den Boogert Renée van Abswoude Unity amid Division Wageningen University - Social Sciences Unity Amid Division The local impact of and response to the Brexit-influenced looming hard border by ordinary citizens in a border city in Northern Ireland Student Renée van Abswoude Student number 940201004010 E-mail [email protected] Thesis Supervisor Lotje de Vries Email [email protected] Second reader Robert Coates Email [email protected] University Wageningen University and Research Master’s Program International Development Studies Thesis Chair Group (1) Sociology of Development and Change (2) Disaster Studies Date 20 October 2019 3 Renée van Abswoude Unity amid Division “If we keep remembering our past as the implement of how we interrogate our future, things will never change.” - Irish arts officer for the city council, interview 12 April 2019 4 Renée van Abswoude Unity amid Division Abstract A new language of the Troubles in Northern Ireland dominates international media today. This is especially the case in the city of Derry/Londonderry, where media reported on a car bomb on 19 January 2019, its explosion almost killing five passer-by’s. Only three months later, during Easter, the death of young journalist Lyra McKee shocked the world. International media link these stories to one event that has attracted the eyes of the world: Brexit, and the looming hard border between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. In this thesis, I analyse the micro impact of the looming hard border on the everyday lives of ordinary citizens in the city of Derry/Londonderry and aim to apprehend their response to the border from a sociological and cultural viewpoint. I base my research on theories concerning borders, identities, boundaries and violence and twelve weeks of anthropological fieldwork consisting of small talk, interviews and participant observation. The resulting different perspectives lead me to conclude that the looming hard border has different meanings to different people, but that these meanings are not opposites of each other. In fact, the fear and uncertainty around the looming hard border has allowed for two processes to occur at the same time: one of division and one of unity. Ordinary citizens in Derry/Londonderry divide based on national identity – Irish or British – when confronted with the impact of the looming hard border through a process of Othering, a Fear of Repetition and a Fear of Extinction. At the same time, they unite along two lines: a transnational European identity, and what I call an “Identity of Hope”: a cultural unification as a response to sporadic acts of violence from paramilitary actors and international narratives that link the looming hard border to violence. Keywords: Northern Ireland, Derry/Londonderry, Brexit, border, identity, identity politics, class inequality, boundaries, violence, Irish Republican Army (IRA), paramilitary organizations, European Union, United Kingdom, political void 5 Renée van Abswoude Unity amid Division Acknowledgements The ultimate goal of anthropologists is to understand the experience of social reality in all its aspects by becoming an insider in a certain community. They often pursue this through long-term fieldwork, which involves the establishment of valuable relationships with informants by building rapport and gaining trust. I believe that without these key informants and contacts, writing a thesis about another society than one’s own is simply impossible. I would like to thank all the people in Derry/Londonderry who have taken the time to show me the city, tell me about life as an inhabitant and those who have made my evenings less quiet. A special thank you goes out to my roommates and to the friends I have made in the various bars (you know who you are). I would like to specifically give thanks to Andrea Brown, who has not only helped me to connect with different people in the city, but who has also provided me with a glimpse of her own experience of living near a border during our weekly Friday night chats and her tour along the border. Finally, I would like to thank Justyn, Brónagh and all my colleagues at the Hidden City Café. Thank you for your open welcome, your everyday chats and your trust in me. To use your own words, you were not bad for a boss I picked up at the bar! I will never forget your wise expression: “The best deals get worked out over a pint!” Besides this family, I would also like to thank my own family, especially my fiancé. Being a technical engineer, I can believe it must be difficult for you to follow my trains of thoughts, but you were always there when I needed to share my thoughts while being stuck (again). Your love and support during my stay in Northern Ireland as well as writing this thesis has been fantastic. Finally, I am very grateful to my supervisor, Lotje de Vries. Her critical feedback, suggestions and advice contributed to the focus of my research and the completion of both the ethnographic fieldwork and this final thesis. 6 Renée van Abswoude Unity amid Division Table of Contents Main Concepts and Abbreviations .......................................................................................................... 9 Maps ...................................................................................................................................................... 10 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 12 Content Summary.............................................................................................................................. 14 1. Borders, Boundaries, Identity and Violence: a Theoretical Exploration ....................................... 16 1.1 Introducing Borders and Boundaries .................................................................................... 16 1.1.1 Borders and Boundaries over Time ............................................................................... 17 1.1.2 Similarities ..................................................................................................................... 19 1.2 The Role of Identity ............................................................................................................... 20 1.2.1 Why Borders Relate to Identities .................................................................................. 20 1.2.2 How Borders Impact Identities ...................................................................................... 21 1.2.3 Identity and Boundaries ................................................................................................ 23 1.3 Adding Violence into the Mix ................................................................................................ 24 2. Methodological Reflection ............................................................................................................ 27 2.1 Methods ................................................................................................................................ 27 2.2 Navigating Derry/Londonderry ............................................................................................. 30 2.3 Navigating this Final Thesis ................................................................................................... 33 3. History and Context ....................................................................................................................... 34 3.1 From Doire to Derry to Londonderry .................................................................................... 34 3.2 Derry in the Last Century ....................................................................................................... 37 3.3 Derry/Londonderry Today ..................................................................................................... 43 3.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 47 4. The “Irish” Border .......................................................................................................................... 48 4.1 Along the Border ................................................................................................................... 48 4.1.1 Cross-border Relationships ........................................................................................... 50 4.2 Perspectives on the Looming Hard Border ........................................................................... 53 4.2.1 Fearing a Hard Border ................................................................................................... 53 4.2.2 Welcoming the Border .................................................................................................. 55 4.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 57 5. Revealing the Fault Lines ............................................................................................................... 58 5.1 The Impact of the Border on (Trans)National Identities ....................................................... 58 5.1.1 The Irish Identity in General