Skip to content

By Shannon McKeown

Northern Ireland, and specifically its capital Belfast, has a long history of inter-community violence rooted in a deep ethno-sectarian divide. This divide stems from clashes between Protestant Unionists, who want to remain a part of Britain, and Catholic Republicans, who wish to be a part of the state of Ireland. Violence began as early as the 17th century when the English and Scottish came to Northern Ireland (then considered ‘Ulster’) in order to establish plantations. The conflict came to a head in the 1960s, which began a period known as ‘The Troubles’ in which there was an increase in violence on both sides, usually instigated by paramilitaries, and many causalities. In the 1990s, an initiative for a peace process was established, ending in the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. More than fifteen years later, the ceasefire has continued to hold and with the exception of a few rare cases, politically motivated violence has ceased to exist in the city of Belfast. However, although the city is now a much safer place to live, there is still a substantial lack of trust and interaction between the two communities. While peace was established on the surface, there is still a lack of a deep-rooted peace.

Living in Belfast during their period of reconciliation has been an eye opening experience. Many aspects of living in the city that may seem strange to someone from the United States are a part of the daily life of Belfast citizens. There are protestant communities and catholic communities, and they do not interact with one another. In some cases, peace walls higher than the Berlin wall separate the neighborhoods in order to avoid confrontation between them. While there is technically ‘peace,’ it is a separate peace.

Interestingly, one of the issues that has the most potential for a violent confrontation is the flag. In the United States, it is an ordinary sight to see the American flag hanging from houses and buildings. In Belfast, the flags are a symbolic reflection of the divide. In unionist neighborhoods, the British flag is present, while in republican neighborhoods, the Irish flag is used. You immediately know which side’s neighborhood you are entering. Due to this, parades and marching are also a form of contention here in Belfast. The unionists celebrate the protestant victory against the Catholics in battle that took place in the 17th century every 12th of July. There is a great deal of political tension on this day if the Unionists march near a Catholic neighborhood.

This semester, I am able to participate in a service learning aspect of my Irish History course. This past week, a classmate and I spoke to two men who are in charge of a community watch program. These two men grew up throughout the Troubles and have seen the worst of the violence here in Belfast. These activist programs, and their leaders, hold a great deal of respect in their given communities. Throughout the Troubles, there was a great amount of distrust of the police force on the Catholic side. To this day, many citizens feel more comfortable approaching these activist organizations than the police when issues arise. While the organizations will suggest going to police depending on the issue (as the trust in the police force has grown stronger in the past decade), they can often resolve the issue more effectively on their own, consulting with the leaders of the other community’s activist groups if need be. One of these men explained a situation in which he helped to defuse a potentially serious clash. There was a Protestant gathering during one of their holidays and out of mere curiosity, a group of Catholics travelled to the other neighborhood to see what was going on. However, the Protestant community perceived the group of Catholics as a threat and were fearful of them. The Protestant community knew to call this man, the leader of the community watch organization, in order to call back the Catholics. He came and they listened to him, and the problem was resolved quickly. However, if police had come to breakup the gathering, there was a chance that it could have escalated from an interaction born of curiosity into a violent clash acting upon instinct and distrust.

While this distrust between communities is very evident, community programs are currently at work that aim to bridge the gap. While the older generations grew up throughout the Troubles and are naturally more distrustful of the other side, there is a substantial effort to unite the youth in workshops and activities in order to work together towards a more united future.

The view from the top of Galata Tower.
The view from the top of Galata Tower.

One of the amazing things about my abroad program is that twice during the semester all 19 of us pick up and travel to another country for a week. This past week I spent my time in Istanbul, Turkey and it was incredible.  Our time consisted of lectures from impressive university faculty, tours of the historic areas and free time to explore on our own.

Inside the Hagia Sophia - a building that has served as both a mosque and church over the centuries. It has been a museum since the 1920s.
Inside the Hagia Sophia - a building that has served as both a mosque and church over the centuries. It has been a museum since the 1920s.

Istanbul is one of the most different places I have ever been.  In the moments when the entire city was engulfed by the call to prayer being played from each of the more than three thousand mosques I felt the need to stop, listen and absorb the environment around me.  The uniqueness of Istanbul's complex history was especially apparent when I was standing in a Greek church and the call to prayer began, echoing off the walls and highlighting one of the things that makes Istanbul so intriguing and beautiful.

It's a cosmopolitan center where religion, culture and history have overlapped for centuries.  The depth of Istanbul's past is almost unfathomable. Walking through the Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sofia and old, but operating, bazaars puts you directly in contact with Istanbul's history, but it's still hard to comprehend that this is a place that has functioned as a city since the 600s BC and served as the capital for three empires - Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman.  Clearly with so much history and so many sites to see I was happy to have an entire week to explore, but my time here could have easily been extended.

Intricate tile domed ceiling of the Blue Mosque.
Intricate tile domed ceiling of the Blue Mosque.

Now it's time to return to normal class schedules after a week of midterms and a week of adventuring.  While this would normally be the moment to interject an objection to returning to school, homework and extensive reading requirements, I'm surprisingly excited to continue my schedule.  All the classes offered aim to relate, compare and discuss common ideas and principles between metropolitan centers.  After this week I definitely have a lot I'd like to discuss.

 

By LizGoodwin04

Thailand is certainly very different from the United States and having been here three weeks now I’m picking up more and more on all of the little nuances and differences that make Thailand so unique. Below are three small, but significant observations about Thai culture.

  • They ride motorcycles, or as the Thais call them “morcyes,” everywhere. Walking anywhere in Thailand is extremely difficult. There are no sidewalks and when there are sidewalks they are completely uneven with huge drop offs. Also, there are giant holes on the side of the road that I’ve heard people do occasionally fall into. So it’s no surprise that Thais prefer to ride their motorcycles everywhere, even if it’s just down the street less than a quarter of a mile away to the local 7-11 or around the corner to the closest breakfast place which is only a two minute walk (something my Thai roommate does quite often).
  • The Thais love to take selfies and it seems there is never an inappropriate time to take a selfie. There is no such thing as “selfie-shame” in this country. In Thailand if you are at a coffee shop, the first thing you do is take a selfie with the coffee. If you go out with friends to the bar, the first thing you do is take a selfie. If you’re at the mall, you take a selfie. There isn’t really anywhere you wouldn’t take a selfie in Thailand.
  • Bagged drinks. If you order any type of drink in Thailand, you will receive the drink in a plastic bag with a straw. At first, I thought drinking out of a bag was extremely weird. It was hard to balance and I never knew how to set the drink on the table. However, once I figured out how to hold the bag properly and set it down, I realized that plastic bags make way more sense and are more convenient than to go cups. With bagged drinks, you can carry them on your wrists, thus freeing up your hands to carry other things. In addition, nothing spills out the top of a plastic bag and sloshes all over your hands the way overly filled cups do. Finally, the handles of the bag keep your hands from getting all wet and cold from the condensation that cold drinks produce. In my opinion, this is definitely a practice the United States should consider adopting.