Overview

A second editon of Richard Bourke's classic study of the Northern Ireland Troubles, includes a new preface. Peace in Ireland is a classic study of the Northern Ireland Troubles which examines the events of 1968-2003 in broad historical perspective, including an exploration of the ideological roots of the conflict in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It covers the decisive episodes that marked the trajectory of the Troubles, from the Civil Rights Movement, Bloody Sunday and the Sunningdale Agreement, to the hunger strikes, the paramilitary ceasefires and the Good Friday Agreement. The book exposes the assumption that the conflict was a product of imperialism, and challenges the idea that the descent into violence was brought about by atavistic regression or ethnic solidarity. Its central argument is that the Northern Ireland debacle was a distinctly modern conflict, fought over rival aspirations to popular sovereignty. Accordingly, the book places opposing conceptions of democratic legitimacy at the centre of the dispute. From this angle, it analyses both Nationalism and Republicanism as well as Unionism and Loyalism with the aim of providing a sustained investigation of the impact of political ideas on modern Ireland.

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9781845951986

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Reviews

This story is vividly and even-handedly told, based on impressive research... Bourke explores the implications with greater sophistication than almost anyone else Independent A thoughtful and scholarly work Irish Times Fluent and vivid... Inside this big, discursive book is an urgent call to look beneath appearances to underlying appearances, and it ought to be heeded Financial Times Richard Bourke's background as a historian of ideas gives him an interesting philosophical perspective on an old problem and he strives nobly and intelligently to lift the debate above the lazy cliches employed by so many peace processors and commentators Daily Telegraph

This story is vividly and even-handedly told, based on impressive research... Bourke explores the implications with greater sophistication than almost anyone else Independent A thoughtful and scholarly work Irish Times Fluent and vivid... Inside this big, discursive book is an urgent call to look beneath appearances to underlying appearances, and it ought to be heeded Financial Times Richard Bourke's background as a historian of ideas gives him an interesting philosophical perspective on an old problem and he strives nobly and intelligently to lift the debate above the lazy cliches employed by so many peace processors and commentators Daily Telegraph

Author Information

Richard Bourke took his BA at University College Dublin and his PhD at King's College, Cambridge. He has published on political, intellectual and literary history, focussing on the history of political ideas, particularly on Enlightenment thought and the career of Edmund Burke. He has frequently been a commentator on Northern Ireland for the BBC and RT and has written for Fortnight Magazine, Prospect, Irish Times, Financial Times, the Times Literary Supplement and Political Quarterly. He is Professor in the History of Political Thought in the School of History at Queen Mary, University of London.

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