Segregated Lives: Social Division, Sectarianism and Everyday Life in Northern Ireland

1
Segregated Lives Social Division, Sectarianism
and Everyday Life in Northern Ireland

• Neil Jarman

2
Rationale

• To analyse the ways and means that sectarianism
  and segregation are sustained and extended
  through the routine and mundane decisions of
  everyday lives.
• Pierre Bourdieu We live as social beings in a
  world of structured structures predisposed to
  function as structuring structures.

3
Background

• 18 month qualitative study.
• Funded by CRC through SEUPB.
• 168 participants in six different locations
  across Northern Ireland.
• Variety of methodologies interviews, walks,
  diaries, mapping

4
Locations

• Belfast Tigers Bay / New Lodge
• Belfast Stranmillis
• Newry Shandon Park
• Ballymena Dunclug
• Castlederg / Newtownstewart
• Kilrea

5
Legacy and Class

• Segregation a continuing legacy of Troubles
• Impacts differently on different people
• Impact of class on segregation
• Importance of visibility and anonymity

6
Economic Aspects

• Nature of segregation is changing
• Economic regeneration has positive and negative
  impacts
• More neutral / shared spaces
• But co-exist with high segregation
• Shopping increasingly neutral

7
Daily Routines

• Work neutrality and avoidance
• Education segregation informal integration
• Resources access related to time of day and of
  year
• Leisure people socialise where they feel safe

8
Key Findings

• Asserting community ID threatens cohesion
• Denying community ID threatens belonging
• Segregation impacts more on young than old and
  most on young men