Youth Culture and Ethnic Identity

Abstract

In Northern Ireland the sphere of cultural and political identity is a fiercely contested one. Since the late 1960s a series of teenage generations have come to age in this troubled society. Young people develop their sense of ethnic identity — of being Ulster Protestants or Irish Catholics — in the midst of a situation of political crisis and sectarian confrontation. Long-established cultural divisions are reinforced by a segregated educational system. Increasing levels of residential segregation in the wake of sectarian violence have also left their mark. This segregation when combined with the isolating effects of mass unemployment has effectively ghettoized young people within their confessional communities. How has this ongoing process of ghettoization shaped the youth cultural forms and practices to be found in Northern Ireland?