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An examination of the fraught dynamics of identity politics in and between Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State/ Republic of Ireland from 1921 to the present. This book provides a new understanding of the ´Troubles´ and the peace process. Commemorations and the influence of history receive special attention, as does the European context.

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This ground-breaking political history of the two Irish States provides unique new insights into the ´Troubles´ and the peace process. It examines the impact of the fraught dynamics between the competing identities of the Nationalist-Catholic-Irish Community on the one hand and the Unionist-Protestant-British community on the other.

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Introduction PART I Action and Reaction: Majority Identities, 1921-60 Parallel Universes: Minority Identities, 1921-60 Remembering and Forgetting: Commemorations and Identity, 1921-60 PART II Conflict and Conciliation: Identities and Change, 1960-2010 Remembering and Reclaiming: Commemorations and Identity, 1960-2010 The Past and the Present: History, Identity and the Peace Process Conclusion Endnotes Bibliography

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Brian Mercer Walker is Professor of Irish Studies, School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy, Queen´s University Belfast, Ireland.

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