Racism, Sectarianism and the Troubles: The Place of ‘Others’ in a Binary Society

Abstract

Chapter 8 addresses a core theme that pervades the book, attempting to establish the place of migrant communities in a divided society. When everybody was assumed to be Catholic or Protestant, nationalist or unionist, what happened to those who were ‘other’ or ‘neither’? The chapter takes a conceptual approach, synthesising findings from the book so far. It features in-depth discussion about how Northern Ireland’s societal division rendered it a unique migrant destination. Intense disagreement surrounding national identity made it difficult for minority ethnic people to form the type of hybridised identities found across the Irish Sea such as Black-British or British-Asian. Instead, these communities were often relegated to the unsatisfactory limbo of ‘other’. Chapter 8 argues that this liminal status served as both a protective and an exclusionary mechanism, shielding migrant communities from the worst of the Troubles but leaving them peripheral to both of the two white populations. The chapter highlights how, despite the cessation of the Troubles and a lessening of division, Northern Ireland remains structured around a sectarian dichotomy, leaving little room for alternative identities. It also highlights how people from migrant backgrounds were pigeonholed and co-opted within this framework. The chapter concludes by considering the potential for change in an increasingly diverse ‘post-conflict’ society.