Adrian Guelke (Ed.), New Perspectives on the Northern Ireland Conflict. Brookfield, VT: Avebury, 1994. $54.95 hardcover

Jones, John F.

English

ScholarWorks at WMU

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare Volume 22 Issue 4 December Article 10 December 1995 Review of New Perspectives on the Northern Ireland Conflict. Adrian Guelke (Ed.). Reviewed by John F. Jones, University of Denver. John F. Jones University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw  Part of the Social Work Commons Recommended Citation Jones, John F. (1995) "Review of New Perspectives on the Northern Ireland Conflict. Adrian Guelke (Ed.). Reviewed by John F. Jones, University of Denver.," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 22 : Iss. 4 , Article 10. Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol22/iss4/10 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Social Work at ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact maira.bundza@wmich.edu. Book ReviewsAdrian Guelke (Ed.), New Perspectives on the Northern Ireland Con-flict. Brookfield, VT: Avebury, 1994. $54.95 hardcover.Peace is a necessary condition of social justice, and its pursuita legitimate aim of social work. While such an assumption iscommonplace in social work with individuals and families, itfinds less expression in the literature of community organizationwhere emphasis has not infrequently been on conflict as a strategytowards a larger goal. Yet the foundations of civil society in placesas diverse as South Africa and Israel depend on harmony or atleast cooperation in seeking the common good. It is significantthat the origins of New Perspectives on the Northern Ireland Con-flict can be traced to sessions at the First International Congresson Prejudice, Discrimination and Conflict held in Jerusalem in1991, and that the book's editor is a South African, the Jan SmutsProfessor of International Relations at the University of the Wit-watersrand, Johannesburg. The commonalties of civil strife andthe quest for peace are apparent. The contributors Adrian Guelkehas drawn together represent an interdisciplinary group of so-cial scientists who in their examination of the Northern Irelandsituation probe the parameters of conflict and its resolution.One of the ironies of the book, published just before thepresent peace initiative, is that it holds out relatively little hopefor a peaceful solution. Guelke's last word is: "Termination ofthe conflict by either accommodation or a struggle to the finishseems improbable. The word that most aptly describes NorthernIreland's political conditions is intractable." So much for the pre-dictive power of social science! Against the odds, a cease fire wasdeclared by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the summer of1994, matched shortly after by the Unionist side, and prospects fora lasting settlement are now at least conceivable. But you alwayshold your breath when thinking of Ireland, and the grounds forGuelke's caution are centuries old.The scope of the book is relatively narrow and more effectiveon that account. Leaving aside ancient history, the contributorsconfine themselves to the more recent "troubles" (an Irish eu-phemism if ever there was one), beginning in the late sixties148 Journal of Sociology & Social Welfarewith the flare-up of intercommunal violence, a state of affairs thatlasted with varying degrees of intensity until recently. A paradoxwith which the contributing authors deal is the "relatively lowlevel" of violence which nonetheless persisted throughout theperiod. Contrary to popular perception, in no sense was therecivil war; even terrorism strikes many as too strong a word forthe on-again-off-again bombings and reprisals that took placeduring this period. There is talk about "legitimate targets" and"acceptable levels of violence", in themselves rather shockingterms, to describe the controls which both communities (Cath-olic/Nationalist and Protestant/Unionist) put on their militantwings. At root is the question: should the North remain part ofBritain (the Unionist position) or should it be integrated with theRepublic of Ireland (as the Nationalists would have it)? There is,of course, a range of options under each scenario.A refreshing break from the rational discourse of the authorsis the language of the most directly affected by the violence andsocial injustice. The streets and schools in surveys and interviewsecho distaste and sometime humor directed at extremists. AProtestant begs not to allow stereotyping to put him in the samebag as "a wee Christian... a Bible-thumper." Children in themidst of sectarianism show themselves surprisingly sensitive tocultural diversity. Liam, Catholic, 15 years old: "People are allbrought up differently." Jennifer, Protestant, also 15, describingher new school: "Now I have Catholic friends. They come andstay at my home."For all that, sectarianism is alive and well in Belfast. The menand women, the girls and boys interviewed have for the mostpart no doubt where their ethnic and religious allegiance lies,and generally this identity influences political sentiment. Whilethe official and indeed the passionate line of the mainstreamchurches, both Catholic and Protestant, is firmly against violence,and even as the family victims of violence invariably plead againstreprisals, violence has continued. As Guelke puts it, "the role ofreligious belief, like that of segregation, is contradictory: actingas a restraint on violence, on the one hand, while contributing tothe divisions that give rise to the violence, on the other."The strength of this book is its sophistication, its uncannyability to see both sides of the question. The book presents noBook Reviews 149formula for peace, but the "new perspectives" of its title shed lighton the complexities of political discourse in a divided society, theinconsistencies of British government policy, the status of the mil-itary and the police, working class unemployment, the evolutionof a mainly quiescent Catholic middle class, bicommunalism andsegregation, the role of education on both sides of the border, andthe limits to conflict and accommodation. At times the discussionwidens to other parts of the globe, but for the most part readersare left to draw their own conclusions on how the lessons learnedfrom Northern Ireland can apply to regional conflicts elsewhere.For those unfamiliar with the situation in Northern Ireland,New Perspective is an excellent introductory text. Even for thosewho have some knowledge of the politics of the province duringthe last three decades the book has important insights to offer.Here is a fine case study of communal strife and the search for asolution.John F. JonesUniversity of DenverRobert B. Hill, Research on the African-American Family: A HolisticPerspective. Westport, CT: Auburn House, 1993. $47.95 hard-cover; $15.95 papercover.This book, one of four, produced for the project, "Assessmentof the Status of African Americans," coordinated by the WilliamMonroe Trotter Institute at the University of Massachusetts atBoston, should be read by every person interested in doing andunderstanding research on African-American families. The bookoffers that the causes and nature of the current crisis amongAfrican American families must be understood from a holisticperspective. Such a perspective must necessarily explore the sep-arate and combined effects of societal trends, community, familyand individual factors and social policies.The first chapter provides a framework for understandingwhat is meant by a holistic perspective. It then recommends thatany study of African-American families must give priority tothemes of diversity, dynamism, balance, solutions and empiri-cism. Each of these dimensions are explored to demonstrate how

Review of \u3cem\u3eNew Perspectives on the Northern Ireland Conflict.\u3c/em\u3e Adrian Guelke (Ed.). Reviewed by John F. Jones, University of Denver.

https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2290&amp;context=jssw

Review of \u3cem\u3eNew Perspectives on the Northern Ireland Conflict.\u3c/em\u3e Adrian Guelke (Ed.). Reviewed by John F. Jones, University of Denver.

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

ScholarWorks at WMU