Culture and Identity Politics in Northern Ireland

Civilization and culture have traditionally been regarded as mutually exclusive concepts. In this comparative case-study of Northern Ireland, Máiréad Nic Craith explores the commitment of unionists to a civic, "culture-blind" British state; contrasting this with nationalist demands for official recognition of Irish culture. The "cultural turn" in Northern Irish politics and the development of a bicultural infrastructure is examined here in the context of differing interpretations of equality and increasing demands for intercultural communication within, as well as between, communities.