Contemporary Catholic and Protestant Irish America: Social Identities, Forgiveness, and Attitudes Toward The Troubles

摘要: The intractability of ethnic conflicts is due in part to their selective focus on the past. Images past are used legitimate present social order, but such order presupposes shared memories, and as memories diverge, a society's members share neither experiences nor assumptions. (1) In addition, many those violence humiliations, which have not been acknowledged or atoned for by aggressors descendants, resulting continuing pain, fear, hatred victimized people. (2) It surprising that interventions seeking lasting peace often involve revisiting history each side an acceptance responsibility actions one's own community. Today this recovering politically violent pasts can be observed South Africa's Truth Reconciliation Commission (3) Guatemala's Recovery Historic Memory Project. (4) addition accountability actions, some also calling corporate forgiveness political ultimate step reconciliation; (5) being at least tentatively explored Northern Ireland. (6) Political Ireland/Northern Ireland has centuries old, "remembering" perpetuates current sectarian attitudes conflict. (7) Irish Catholics Protestants distinct groups selectively remember, construct, interpret, commemorate history, memories. (8) Lyons's Social Identity Process Theory, these serve demonstrate community's continuity, collective self-esteem, distinctiveness, efficacy, cohesion. (9) Ireland's certainly scale horrific aggression settings Africa Guatemala. On other hand, inhabited only about 1.7 million people, distributed among close-knit urban neighborhoods rural communities. (10) Consequently, thirty years conflict touched entire country. (11) Currently, experiencing formal cessation armed between major paramilitary organizations security forces, although two communities still erupts, tension provides constant backdrop. However, it does necessarily follow results attitudes. (12) More than any European nation, (North South) characterized emigration during three centuries. (13) United States alone, more 40 Americans claim descent. (14) vast size immigrant population alone impetus contemporary examination its relationship with toward violence. Historically, Irish-American influence dominated nationalist agendas primary constitutional politics. Lobbyists working grass-roots level leaders Washington, D.C., maintained pressure Britain's policy even before enactment partition 1920. Utilizing different strategy focused economic injustice, established McBride Principles 1984 counter Catholic disadvantage Ireland, particular discrimination employment. (15) militant Americans, who support republican agendas, raised millions dollars causes, supplied Republican Army weaponry, aided men run incarcerated. (16) 1990s saw presidential administration involved unprecedented scale. (17) Though there substantial historical literature America, surprisingly few behavioral studies carried out. …