THE POLITICS OF ACCOMMODATION, SOCIAL-CHANGE AND CONFLICT-RESOLUTION IN NORTHERN-IRELAND

In the study of deeply divided societies much emphasis is placed upon the role of the state in generating, controlling and supressing social and political conflict. An alternative emphasis is found in the view that politics in states with divided societies must be concerned with community building, accommodation and the removal of the roots of conf lict. In developing this view the theories and structures of consociat ional democracy have been much discussed since they were outlined by A rendt Lijphart in 1968. Application of the principles of consociationa lism to conflict ridden Northern Ireland serves only to highlight its limitation:; as a means of conflict resolution. Yet the study of the p olitics of accommodation in Northern Ireland since 1972 through a grow ing range of consociational policies in local government, education, e mployment and the voluntary sector points to significant social change . Cross community interaction prioritising non-political and non-const itutional issues set in a variety of non-sectarian contexts has burgeo ned and created a social and cultural diversity rarely acknowledged in writings on Northern Ireland. While it can be demonstrated that funda mental social change has occurred the significance of such change for the resolution of conflict and overarching constitutional reform is mo re difficult to assess. It is concluded that the importance of social change in Northern Ireland lies not so much in the arena of constituti onal reform as in its effect upon the para-military groups to sustain successfully violent conflict over a protracted period of time in the future. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.