How the “Northern Irish” National Identity Is Understood and Used by Young People and Politicians

Abstract

The conventional understanding of the nation within social psychology is as a category of people or “imagined community.” However, work within the discursive tradition shows that citizens tend to discuss nationhood in a variety of modes, including the use of nonhuman categories such as references to the physical landscape of the country. This article aims to give a more comprehensive overview of how young people understand the Northern Irish identity, a new and potentially inclusive national category in a divided society, and how politicians articulate it in rhetoric. In Study 1, students (N = 286) discussed this identity in 44 peer‐led focus groups. Thematic analysis of their discussions shows four distinct ways in which it is constructed: as a distinctive people, as an identity claim, as a “hot” political project, and as a “cold” or banal indicator of place. In Study 2, Members of the Legislative Assembly at Stormont (N = 49) responded to open‐ended questions about the Northern Irish identity. Each of the parties used different conceptualizations for rhetorical effect. These results give a deeper understanding of the multifaceted nature of national identity and its ability to promote political agendas.

Different domains of identity predict different exit strategies

“…Furthermore, among our older sample in Study 3, regional identification mimicked the pattern of national identification for subgroup exit, while the patterns were more distinct among our college aged sample in Study 2. The differences across the two samples in Northern Ireland suggests there could be generational differences in how Northern Irish identity is construed, which fits with recent research on this topic (McNicholl et al, 2019;Tonge & Gomez, 2015). Although the findings were relatively consistent across all our studies, an acknowledgement of the context is pivotal for purposes of generalization, and future research should consider such contextual factors when constructing theory-driven hypotheses.…”

When groups help and when groups harm: Origins, developments, and future directions of the “Social Cure” perspective of group dynamics

“…Some caution is needed when assuming that this boundary extension automatically results in the former outgroup beginning to perceive themselves as ingroup members. As seen in previous Social Cure research, particularly in the context of Northern Ireland, groups may differ in the degree to which they see themselves and others as belonging to a common category (Lowe & Muldoon, ; McNicholl, Stevenson, & Garry, ). Moreover, as the optimal distinctiveness model posits, members may strive for differentiation if they feel they have been forced to join a large and undefined social category (Brewer, ).…”

Is a middle force emerging in Northern Ireland?

“…502-503). Interviews with members of the Assembly and engagement with undergraduate focus groups confirmed the value of this four-fold framework in classifying feelings of identity (McNicholl, Stevenson, & Garry, 2019). This framework throws useful light on some of the variation in patterns of acceptance of the 'Northern Irish' label discussed above.…”