Integrated education and Irish language policy under the Good Friday Agreement

Almost two decades after the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, opinions differ in terms of its effectiveness in fostering peace and reconciliation. Although the number of deaths linked to the conflict has sharply decreased since the signing of the agreement, a series of recent political developments have underlined some inadequacies within the current framework. Within academia, the two opposing schools of thought, namely consociationalism and integrationism, have been engaged in a debate regarding the empirical case of Northern Ireland and how it relates to current political science theory on conflict resolution in multi-ethnic states. This paper proposes an argument for a more nuanced theoretical approach to peacemaking by exploring two political issues that have been particularly problematic in Northern Ireland following the implementation of the Agreement. By analyzing the issues of integrated education and of the Irish language through the lens of both...Show moreAlmost two decades after the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, opinions differ in terms of its effectiveness in fostering peace and reconciliation. Although the number of deaths linked to the conflict has sharply decreased since the signing of the agreement, a series of recent political developments have underlined some inadequacies within the current framework. Within academia, the two opposing schools of thought, namely consociationalism and integrationism, have been engaged in a debate regarding the empirical case of Northern Ireland and how it relates to current political science theory on conflict resolution in multi-ethnic states. This paper proposes an argument for a more nuanced theoretical approach to peacemaking by exploring two political issues that have been particularly problematic in Northern Ireland following the implementation of the Agreement. By analyzing the issues of integrated education and of the Irish language through the lens of both consociationalism and integrationism, I plan to further advance the theoretical debate in addition to providing relevant academic research applicable to the case of Northern Ireland. The inclusion of research and literature from a variety of disciplines allows for a more evidence driven approach to understanding the challenges facing the Northern Irish peace process today.Show less

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Integrated education and Irish language policy under the Good Friday Agreement