Whither the Irish Language Act? Language policies in Northern Ireland

Sharma, Abhimanyu

doi:10.1080/14664208.2020.1846902

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 14 publications

(16 reference statements)

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“…Successive opinion polls confirm that linguistic rights and the implementation of the GFA's linguistic provisions remained twice as important to SF supporters than to other Nationalists (Irwin 2001; 2003). The established tie between their leaders' reputation as legitimate political representatives and accommodationist cultural reforms partly explains SF's drive to expand Irish-medium education throughout Northern Ireland (Ó Baoill 2007; Sharma 2021) and its insistence in including provisions for the introduction of an Irish-language act in the 2006 St Andrews Agreement (Coulter et al 2021; McMonagle 2010). The same reputational effect also explains Unionist parties' insistence on equal funding and support for the linguistic and cultural activities of Ulster Scots (Coulter et al 2021; Fontana 2016; O'Leary 2019).…”

Section: Qualitative Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond Reassurance: The Reputational Effect of Cultural Reforms in Peace Agreements

Fontana

Masiero

2022

Gov. & oppos.

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We explore whether including cultural reforms in an intra-state peace accord facilitates its success. We distinguish between accommodationist and integrationist cultural provisions and employ a mixed research method combining negative binomial regression on a data set of all intra-state political agreements concluded between 1989 and 2017, and an in-depth analysis of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement for Northern Ireland. We recognize the important reassuring effect of accommodationist cultural reforms in separatist conflicts. However, we also find that they have an important and hitherto overlooked reputational effect across all conflict types. By enhancing the reputation of negotiating leaders, accommodationist cultural provisions contribute to ending violence by preventing leadership challenges, rebel fragmentation and remobilization across all civil conflicts. By the same logic, and despite the overwhelming emphasis of peace agreements on integrationist cultural initiatives, integrationist cultural reforms problematize leaders' ability to commit to pacts and to ensure compliance among their rank and file.

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Section: Qualitative Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond Reassurance: The Reputational Effect of Cultural Reforms in Peace Agreements

Fontana

Masiero

2022

Gov. & oppos.

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“…As a result of centuries of colonial force and plantation in Ireland, Northern Ireland inhabits the status of one of the legal jurisdictions of the UK. This political and social scenario is fiercely contested, providing the backdrop for this study where Irish language use is contentious, with limited protections and advancements for the language (Sharma, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Making and Shaping of the Young Gael: Irish‐Medium Youth Work for Developing Indigenous Identities

McArdle

Neill

2023

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Identity exploration and formation is a core rumination for young people. This is heightened in youth where flux and transition are characteristic of this liminal state and intensified further in contexts where identity is disputed and opposed, such as in Northern Ireland. In this post‐colonial setting, the indigenous Irish language and community recently gained some statutory protections, but the status and place of the Irish‐speaking population continue to be strongly opposed. Drawing on focus group data with 40 young people involved in the emerging field of Irish‐medium youth work, this article explores how informal education offers an approach and setting for the development of identities in contested societies. Principles of emancipation, autonomy, and identity formation underpin the field of youth work and informal education. This dialogical approach to learning and welfare focuses on the personal and social development of young people and troubles those systems that marginalise and diminish their place in society. This article identifies how this youth work approach builds on language development to bring to life a new social world and space for Irish‐speaking young people. It identifies political activism and kinship development as key components in strengthening individual and collective identity. This article proposes a shift in emphasis from the language‐based formal education sector to exploit the under‐recognised role of informal education in the development of youth identity, cultural belonging, and language revitalisation.

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Power and Language Policies in Wales

Sharma

2022

Reconceptualising Power in Language Policy

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Whither the Irish Language Act? Language policies in Northern Ireland

Abstract: This paper examines language policies in Northern Ireland vis-à-vis the Irish language. Whilst the devolution of powers has benefitted Welsh and Scottish Gaelic through the creation of separate language acts dedicated to them, there is no such act for Irish.

Cited by 4 publications

References 14 publications

Beyond Reassurance: The Reputational Effect of Cultural Reforms in Peace Agreements

Beyond Reassurance: The Reputational Effect of Cultural Reforms in Peace Agreements

The Making and Shaping of the Young Gael: Irish‐Medium Youth Work for Developing Indigenous Identities

Power and Language Policies in Wales

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