Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2019 Nonviolent Resistance to Security Policy in Nationalist Northern Ireland, 1970-1981 Thomas E. Caulfield Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Political Science Commons, Public Administration Commons, and the Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Thomas E. Caulfield has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. William Benet, Committee Chairperson, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Morris Bidjerano, Committee Member, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Tanya Settles, University Reviewer, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2019 Abstract Nonviolent Resistance to Security Policy in Nationalist Northern Ireland, 1970-1981 by Thomas E. Caulfield MA, Vermont College of the Union Institute BS, State University of New York College at Buffalo Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University February 2019 Abstract Political division has plagued Northern Ireland since its partition from the rest of Ireland in the 1920s. Current literature recounts the role of nationalist actors in the violent struggle that erupted in 1969 initiating a 3-decade period of civil strife described as the Troubles. However, very little scholarly coverage exists providing details of nonviolent resistance on the part of some community members. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to examine the meanings and perceptions evoked from Irish nationalists from Belfast and Derry who chose to challenge security policies through nonviolent actions from 1970 through 1981. Using a chain sampling approach, 14 protesters volunteered to tell their stories. Benet’s polarities of democracy unifying model was used as the theoretical framework for the study. The data collected were analyzed using the modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method, which involved a synthesis of meanings generated from respondents. Data analysis revealed 4 major themes that underpinned informant experiences of protest: social identity, coping, perseverance, and empowerment. Data showed in many instances that more aggressive security tactics used against demonstrators incited more intense antistate activities. Public administrators, through a combination of written policy and security personnel training, should, therefore, address sociopolitical grievances in a manner that will promote mediation in an effort to avoid instigation of further and more physical protest actions. State officials, as well as elected legislators who write and analyze public policy, may incorporate the findings of this study to expediate the delivery of more democratic government services and to support and promote nonviolent active citizenry. Nonviolent Resistance to Security Policy in Nationalist Northern Ireland, 1970-1981 by Thomas E. Caulfield MA, Vermont College of the Union Institute BS, State University of New York College at Buffalo Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University February 2019 Dedication I would like to dedicate this endeavor to all people who find the courage to fight injustice. It is with very special thoughts that I devote the finished product to my forebears Thomas and Ellen Caulfield. And finally, a heartfelt dedication to Matt Comerford: your love of life infected us all. I pray that someday our paths will meet again. Acknowledgements This work would have been impossible if not for the encouragement, assistance, and cooperation of so many. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to each family member for the patience and the latitude they afforded me throughout this trek. Thank you to my wife, Nancy Krug, for your administrative support; to my daughter, Lauren Caulfield, for your technical support; and to my son, Liam Caulfield, for our intense discussions on the value of public service. I also need to extend my appreciation to Dave Comerford for encouraging me to start this mission and for your support along the way. Countless thanks go to the staff of the Linen Hall Library, the Falls Road Library, Coiste na nIarchimí, Tar Anall, the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland, the McClay Library at Queens University, the Abbey Tea Room (Derry), the Derry Central Library, the Museum of Free Derry, Pilot’s Row Community Center, Huq Family Library (St. Catharines, Ontario), the Schwartz Library (Cleveland, Ohio), the Butler Library at Buffalo State College, and the Lockwood Library on the University at Buffalo campus. Many thanks the Francey and Smyth families from County Antrim for your great hospitality and fireside chats. And a special thank you goes to gatekeepers Séanna Walsh, Adrian Kerr, and Brian Higgins for providing access to those remarkable human beings who acted as respondents. I want to offer sincere thanks to the participants in this research who gave me their time, bared their hearts, and told their stories to make this study whole. Finally, I must acknowledge and offer thanks to my committee chair, Dr. William Benet, my committee member, Dr. Morris Bidjerano, and my university research reviewer, Dr. Tanya Settles, who provided the guidance necessary to keep me focused during this journey. Go raibh míle maith agaibh. Table of Contents List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures ................................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study…………………. .......................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Background of the Study ...............................................................................................4 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................9 Purpose of the Study……….……………………………………………..… .............12 Research Question………………………………………………… ..............……….13 Theoretical Framework…………………………………………………. ...................13 Nature of the Study…………………………………………… ..........………………15 Definition of Key Terms………………………………… .....……………………….16 Assumptions……………………………………… ...........…………………………..22 Delimitations…………………………………… ...........…………………………….24 Limitations……………………………………… .............…………………………..26 Significance of Study………………………… ...............……………………………28 Summary…………………………………… .............……………………………….28 Chapter 2: Literature Review…………………… .............………………………………32 Introduction……………………………… .............………………………………….32 Literature Search Strategy………….............………………………………………...34 Theoretical Framework…………… .............………………………………………...35 Literature Review.........................................................................................................46 i Falls Road Curfew…………… ..................………………………………………46 Operation Demetrius (Internemt without trial) .......................................................59 Operation Motorman (Removal of "no-go" areas)… .......…………………….….76 Criminalization (Removal of Special Category Status)…… .......………………...88 Summary………... ....……………………………………………………………….108 Chapter 3: Research Method… .....……………………………………………………...110 Introduction…………………… ...........…………………………………………….110 Study Design and Rationale…… ...........……………………………………………111 Role of the Researcher………………… ...........……………………………………112 Methodology…………… .............………………………………………………….114 Identification of Population…… ..........………………………………………....114 Participant Selection Logic… ...........…………………………………………....116 Procedures for Recruitment, Participation, and Data Collection ........…………..117 Instrumentation……………………… ...........…………………………………..118 Data Analysis Plan ...............................................................................................119 Issues of Trustworthiness…………………… ...................…………………………121 Credibility (Internal validity)… ............…………………………………………122 Transferability (External validity)………… .............…………………………...122 Dependability (Reliability)………………………… ..............………………….123 Confirmability (Objectivity)…… ............ ……………………………………....124 Ethical Procedures……………………………… .....................................................124 Summary……………………………… ................…………………………………125 ii Chapter 4: Results ...........................................................................................................128 Introduction ................................................................................................................128