Troublemakers and Troublebreakers: An Ethnographic Study of the Shankill Road Community
Authors
Hamilton, Catherine Alison ; Jensen, Kristian ; Madsen, Tommi Nørmark
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2022
Pages
132
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan Shankill, et loyalistisk arbejderklassekvarter tæt på Belfasts centrum, formes af sine omgivelser, af traumer fra fortiden og af håb for fremtiden. Området blev berygtet for vold under konflikten kendt som The Troubles. Undersøgelsen bygger på etnografisk feltarbejde udført i foråret 2022. Et hovedfokus er det byggede miljø—især fredsmurene (Peace Walls), der fysisk adskiller det protestantiske Shankill fra dets katolske naboer—og hvordan det præger lokalsamfundets liv og identitet. Med udgangspunkt i teori om stedidentitet (tanken om, at fysiske steder bliver en del af, hvordan mennesker forstår sig selv) undersøger studiet, hvordan sådanne strukturer og rum forstærker følelsen af tilhørsforhold og påvirker handlinger. Specialet ser også på, hvordan håb virker under disse vanskelige vilkår, især blandt yngre beboere, for at forstå deres valg i dag på trods af en usikker fremtid. Samlet set formes Shankill af både de fysiske rester og de psykiske efterklange af The Troubles, og lokalsamfundet kæmper fortsat med disse efterladenskaber, mens det forsøger at skabe sin fremtid.
This thesis explores how the Shankill, a Loyalist working-class neighborhood near central Belfast, is shaped by its surroundings, by trauma from the past, and by hope for the future. The area became notorious for violence during Northern Ireland’s conflict known as The Troubles. The research draws on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in spring 2022. A central focus is the built environment—especially the Peace Walls that physically separate the Protestant Shankill from its Catholic neighbors—and how it shapes community life and identity. Using place identity theory (the idea that physical places become part of how people see themselves), the study examines how these structures and spaces reinforce a sense of belonging and influence actions. The thesis also looks at how hope operates in these difficult conditions, particularly among younger residents, to understand their choices today despite an uncertain future. Overall, the Shankill is molded by both the physical remains and the psychological echoes of The Troubles, and the community continues to grapple with these legacies while trying to build its future.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Documents