The biggest highlight of the trip, personally, was spending about a day and a half on the coast. I’m not a big fan of cities, so getting to spend some time out on the coast was really nice. Going from the beautiful Corrymeela to stunning Giant’s Causeway was so much fun, and learning about the myth behind the creation of Giant’s Causeway satisfied the mythology-lover part of me (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/northern-ireland/giants-causeway). Speaking of Corrymeela, playing the zero-sum game with my classmates was an experience to say the least (https://www.corrymeela.org/). Beyond the fact that none of us are likely to forget the chaos that was playing that game, it made me realize just how close we’d all gotten in just four days. Some people knew each other coming into the trip and others, like me, didn’t really know anyone. But over the course of 12 days we came together and became a close-knit little group of friends. Another highlight was when Susana, Dr. LaBelle, and I were able to help rescue a pigeon that had been hit by a car. Unrelated to why we were in Northern Ireland, being able to contribute to the saving of a life, no matter how small, is incredibly rewarding. Academically, one of the highlights was when I was able to recognize a pattern of facework management amongst the people we were talking to. I learned about facework management in an intercultural communication class, and being able to recognize that what the former paramilitary members and police officers were doing was facework has made me more confident in my ability to apply the concepts I’m learning in classes to practical, real-life situations. Going on this trip also gave me the opportunity to learn more about Northern Ireland’s history, and the country’s major conflict, from people who lived through the conflict and whose lives and work are still influenced by it today. It was mentioned several times by my classmates that our history classes didn’t teach us about the conflict in Northern Ireland or really anything about the country’s history. Having this opportunity to learn about Northern Ireland’s history makes me more curious to learn about the histories of other countries; Northern Ireland’s conflict and process to peace has taught me much already, I’m sure there are many more lessons to be learned from countries around the world.

And it’s more important now than ever that we look to individuals and communities across the world for the solutions to humanity’s ever growing problems. One of such problems is a rise in anti-immigration and racist sentiment that, if Northern Ireland’s recent protests are any indication, is leading to violence and growing global tensions. The evening of June 9th, our last week in Northern Ireland, was the start of anti-immigration rioting across Northern Ireland in response to a stabbing the prior day (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/belfast-immigration-protest-stabbing-attack/). While the days of rioting culminated in a peaceful anti-racism counterprotest on June 13th, several homes were burned, and many lives and businesses were disrupted by the riots. While the riots contributed to our group’s discussions of persisting division and violence in Northern Ireland, it is in the country’s response to these riots that I find evidence of the enduring impact of the past conflict on Northern Ireland today. The first night of rioting, our group observed businesses closing early and security at our hotel. By the next day, public transportation systems were being shut down for the evenings. Many in our group found these measures to be a bit over the top. After all, we’re relatively used to riots and protests in the United States, and shutting down entire cities because of rioting isn’t something we’re very familiar with. The point was also raised that by shutting down the country the government was playing into the rioters hands by adding to the fear that many were already feeling. I believe this response is an example of the nationwide trans-generational trauma born of the past conflict or the Troubles. Trans-generational trauma is when generations who didn’t directly experience the trauma still experience symptoms of traumatization (O’Neil et al., 2015). I think that, in the case of the race riots, the government and the public saw the riots through the combined lens of the direct and trans-generational trauma of Northern Ireland’s past conflict. Whether or not this is part of the reasoning behind the response to the riots, I believe it’s important to address the trans-generational trauma in Northern Ireland in order for the country to be able to move further into a peaceful and cooperative future. 

As a Global Communication & World Language (Spanish emphasis) and a Peace & Justice Studies double major, this trip reaffirmed my choices of majors as the best paths towards my future goals. Part of why I had chosen to go on this trip to Northern Ireland was because we were studying peace communication–a perfect combination of my double majors. And I’m so grateful I went, for so many reasons. One being that I learned how the cultural differences between communities in Northern Ireland led to conflict and division that still exists today. And, perhaps most importantly, I learned that the way those cultural differences have been and are being communicated play a role in the past, present, and future state of Northern Ireland. With an interest in going into international non-profit or diplomatic work, it’s important for me to understand that the way people communicate across different types of borders has an impact on the state of positive, peaceful progress. And, on a more practical level, this trip gave me the opportunity to speak with Bebhinn McKinley, a former good relations officer in Northern Ireland. Bebhinn advised me that, if I’m interested in going into the work that I am, I should pursue a certification in mediation. I’ve known that getting certified in mediation is possible through a Peace & Justice Studies class at Chapman, but I’ve never had strong feelings about getting it. That’s changed. This trip has shown me that the resources I have at my fingertips, from my majors to my classes to my professors, are exactly what I need to chase my goals.

And it’s not just the people and information I have access to that will help me in the future. The challenges I faced on this trip are their own form of resources for me to take and grow from. I think the biggest challenge I faced was staying motivated and organized. From the moment we arrived in Belfast on our first day, we were on the move and learning. While we had one break-day when we went to Giant’s Causeway and Ballycastle, our time in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry was constantly filled with walking around the cities and meeting with various different community members and leaders. We packed so much into just under two weeks, and while everyone we spoke to had important stories and information to impart upon us, it was mentally exhausting at times. Keeping track of the different perspectives and biases we came across made keeping the facts straight rather difficult. Powering through the mental overload was more tiring than I had thought it would be. Looking back on it, I think it was a positive experience for me. If in the future I’m in a similar situation, now I know that I can make it through the confusion and tiredness, and come out having had an amazing experience in the end. A challenge of equal difficulty was navigating how to travel–and internationally, no less–by myself for the first time. It was nerve-racking, and I’m not sure my anxiety calmed down until I was with the group at the hotel in Belfast, but I made it through without any hiccups, and I already felt more confident navigating the airport on my way back home. The challenges I faced on this trip have only made me stronger and more confident as I look to a future filled with possibility.

Reference

O’Neill, S., Armour, C., Bolton, D., Bunting, B., Corry, C., Devine, B., Ennis, E., Ferry, F., McKenna, Á., McLafferty, M., & Murphy, S. (2015). Towards a better future: The trans-generational impact of the Troubles on mental health. Belfast: Commission for Victims and Survivors. https://www.cvsni.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2015-Research-Towards-A-Better-Future-The-Trans-generational-Impact-of-the-Troubles-on-Mental-Health.pdf

Tuesday, June 9th was our first day back in Belfast after spending about three days in Derry/Londonderry. In the morning, we walked to Ulster University to meet with Kate Turner and Brandon Hamber. Ulster University is the largest university in Northern Ireland, with three campuses across the country. It also stands as a testament to the progress made in Northern Ireland, as the building is made mostly of glass and stands in what was a historically violence-prone area of Belfast.

After exploring a local shopping mall’s food court for lunch, our group met with Avila Kilmurray to discuss her role in community peacebuilding in Northern Ireland. The day ended with a group reflection and a free evening exploring Belfast. However, it would be remiss of me not to address that that evening was the start of what would be several days of violent anti-immigration rioting across the country, centered in Belfast, in response to a stabbing on June 8th. The week ended with hope, though, as thousands gathered at Belfast’s City Hall to participate in an anti-racism protest on June 13th. While not directly related to our studies, the events of our last week in Northern Ireland added to our conversations about the ongoing and evolving tensions still present in the country.

This blog will focus mainly on our group’s conversations with Brandon Hamber and Avila Kilmurray, as our discussion with Kate Turner will be covered by another blog post. Brandon Hamber is a professor and holds the John Hume and Thomas P. O’Neill Chair in Peace, which is based at the International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE) at Ulster University. INCORE has groups studying migration and heritage, gender, oral history, archives, and storytelling, and remembering the past. In regards to the conflict in Northern Ireland, one of Hamber’s areas of study is in the complex forms of masculinity present during and after the conflict. Avila Kilmurray is a prominent women’s activist still active in Northern Ireland today. She is the former director of the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, and helped found both Derry Women’s Aid and the Women’s Coalition. Our meeting with Kilmurray was much needed as she brought to our studies the overlooked roles women played throughout the peace process.

One of the most common concepts we encountered during our time in Northern Ireland was framing. Framing is the way that people perceive and interpret different ideas and experiences (Benford & Snow, 2000). Frames give different meanings to these ideas and experiences, which guides how people act and communicate (Benford & Snow, 2000). Throughout our conversations with Hamber and Kilmurray, the concept of framing kept coming up. Particularly in relation to the way that certain voices and stories have been left out because of the way the conflict has been framed, and how both of their work is focused on shifting the narrative to bring light to those hidden experiences. A common framing of the conflict is of paramilitaries as the defenders of their communities. This framing comes with a perception of paramilitaries as being of the macho-masculine inclination. Hamber explains that another form of masculinity was present during the conflict in the form of boxing clubs that provided a caring, protective form of masculinity as an alternative to the paramilitaries that were framed as the ideal form of masculinity. Part of Hamber’s work studying masculinity is to bring light to stories like those of the boxing clubs that have been overlooked because of the way the popular narrative has been framed. On the topic of gender, Kilmurray has long been engaged in the work of bringing attention to the experiences of women during the conflict and peace process that have mostly been ignored due to male-centered framing. The conflict and peace process in Northern Ireland have largely been framed as occurring between men, different armed groups and different political leaders, respectively; the involvement of women being mostly framed as normal domestic roles. As our group learned, women were much more involved in both the violent conflict and the peace process than is commonly acknowledged. The Women’s Coalition, and Kilmurray’s contributions to it, are proof of that. The Women’s Coalition was a political party founded in 1996 by women of both Catholic/Nationalist and Protestant/Loyalist backgrounds who felt that women’s voices had been left out for long enough. They were integral to the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement’s success, as they contributed not only policies about victim support, integrated education, and civic forums to the agreement, but also supported back channel peace negotiations when ceasefires fell through. The framing of the peace process as having been a product of male political and paramilitary leaders has resulted in a lack of acknowledgment and attention to the roles that women have played in ensuring a successful and inclusive peace process. 

Our conversations with Brandon Hamber and Avila Kilmurray introduced our group to the understanding that the way the conflict in Northern Ireland has been framed, historically and presently, has resulted in an ongoing process to uncover the hidden stories and experiences of people throughout Northern Ireland’s history. Understanding the way events have been framed allows us to develop a deeper understanding of the past, present, and future of Northern Ireland. Beyond Northern Ireland, understanding that different events and groups are framed in different ways encourages us all to go beyond the black and white, and look deeper for a more nuanced understanding of the world around us.

References

Benford, R. D., & Snow, D. A. (2000). Framing processes and social movements: An overview and assessment. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 611-639. https://www.jstor.org/stable/223459