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The Development Of Community Development

Civil Society

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Peacebuilding through Women’s Community Development

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Abstract

In 1972, direct rule was imposed by the British Government, suspending the government and democracy in Northern Ireland. This situation is often described as “the absence of politics” but what it meant was that politics was carried out by other means. Donahoe argues that community development was a field of public engagement that worked to constructively fill the political vacuum. Community development arose in the face of overlapping destructive forces, referred to as the triple whammy: economic collapse, redevelopment, and the Troubles. As each of these forces contributed to distrust and alienation between communities, community development projects invested in people and neighborhoods within communities. It was a form of participatory politics that continues to challenge representative politics today.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See for example Edwards (2004) or Putnam (1993, 2000).

  2. 2.

    See also Parver and Wolf (2008).

  3. 3.

    Lederach (1995), Uphoff (1996), Bloomfield (1997), and Gilchrist (1998), for example, make this argument and offer research findings to support it.

  4. 4.

    The Northern Ireland Community Relations Commission, commonly referred to in the literature as the CRC, can be easily confused with the Community Relations Council, formed in 1990 as a registered charity, which is also referred to as the CRC. To limit this confusion, they will be referred to as the CR Commission and the CR Council.

  5. 5.

    Niall Fitzduff (CR Commission), interview with author, July 30, 2012.

  6. 6.

    Michele Baird (CEO, Women’s Information Northern Ireland), interview with author, October 4, 2012.

  7. 7.

    Jackie Redpath (Chief Executive, Greater Shankill Partnership), interview with author, July 31, 2012.

  8. 8.

    Jackie Redpath (Chief Executive, Greater Shankill Partnership), interview with author, July 31, 2012.

  9. 9.

    Mari Fitzduff (Conflict and Coexistence Programme at Brandeis University), interview with author, July 30, 2012.

  10. 10.

    See for example Fay et al. (1999), McCall (1999), and O’Leary and McGarry (1997).

  11. 11.

    Eileen Weir (Shankill Women’s Centre), interview with author, October 15, 2012.

  12. 12.

    The Northern Ireland Housing Executive was created in 1971 (NIHE 2013) to address this discrimination and it is generally seen as being fair but the solution came too late to quell housing frustrations.

  13. 13.

    Tar and feathering was used during the Troubles primarily to punish women who associated with British security forces. More recently, tar and feathering has been used by PUL communities to curb antisocial behavior such as robbery or drug use.

  14. 14.

    May Blood (Baroness of Blackwatertown MBE), interview with author, August 17, 2012.

  15. 15.

    PUL and CRN communities prioritized education in different ways. This is discussed further subsequently.

  16. 16.

    Geraldine MacAteer (CEO West Belfast Partnership), interview with author, October 11, 2012.

  17. 17.

    Geraldine MacAteer (CEO West Belfast Partnership), interview with author, October 11, 2012.

  18. 18.

    Geraldine MacAteer (CEO West Belfast Partnership), interview with author, October 11, 2012.

  19. 19.

    Senior aide to mediator US Senator George Mitchell who first liaised as an economic envoy to Northern Ireland.

  20. 20.

    Geraldine MacAteer (CEO West Belfast Partnership), interview with author, October 11, 2012.

  21. 21.

    Margaret Ward (Director, Women’s Resource and Development Association), interview with author, August 10, 2012.

  22. 22.

    Community worker, confidential interview with author, August–December, 2012.

  23. 23.

    Community worker, confidential interview with author, August–December, 2012.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA

    Amanda E. Donahoe

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  1. Amanda E. Donahoe
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Donahoe, A.E. (2017). The Development Of Community Development. In: Peacebuilding through Women’s Community Development . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55194-4_5

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