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Part of the book series: Palgrave Politics of Identity and Citizenship Series ((CAL))

Abstract

In June 2009, Northern Ireland attracted international media attention for a racist attack against Roma families who were expelled from the loyalist (Protestant) neighbourhood in which they were living. Once again, Belfast was portrayed by the international press as the ‘race hate capital of Europe’, while politicians in Northern Ireland warned against racism becoming ‘the new sectarianism’. In this chapter, we intend to challenge the notion of a ‘post-conflict’ society in Northern Ireland where racism would be a new phenomenon, derived from years of intracommunal violence. Contrarily, we argue that racism in Northern Ireland is embedded within sectarianism and that sectarian divisions have not been assuaged with the peace process.

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© 2014 Michel Savaric

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Savaric, M. (2014). Racism and Sectarianism in Northern Ireland. In: Garbaye, R., Schnapper, P. (eds) The Politics of Ethnic Diversity in the British Isles. Palgrave Politics of Identity and Citizenship Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137351548_10

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