Dis/Agreeing Ireland : Contexts, Obstacles, Hopes

Despite the Good Friday Agreement and the clear vote for peace in the referendum in both the Republic and Northern Ireland, disagreements over many issues remain. In this book, academics and activists from a variety of backgrounds - both parts of Ireland, the US, Britain, and Australia, Protestants and Catholics, nationalists and unionists - bring a wealth of experience to the discussion.

They argue that it is only through Ireland-wide "disagreements" on issues of class, gender and other transnational concerns that "agreement" on the conflict can be reached. The book looks at: nationalism in Britain and "cosmopolitan" nationalism in Southern Ireland; the roles of business and of women; gender and class oppression, which are shown to be reinforced by religious sectarianism; the mutual reinforcement of democratic and human rights "deficits"; an assessment of the thinking in loyalism and republicanism; and the potential for bringing the sectarian and political divides through cross-border political communities and democratic structures.