Description
Book SynopsisIn the wake of the Good Friday Agreement, the redevelopment of the former Girdwood Army Barracks in North Belfast was hailed as a ‘symbol of hope’ for Northern Ireland. It was a major investment in a former conflict zone and an internationally significant peacebuilding project.
Instead of adhering to the tenets of the Agreement, sectarianism dominated the regeneration agenda. Throughout the process, politicians, community groups and paramilitaries wrangled over the site’s future, and territorial contest won out over housing need. After eleven years of negotiation and £11.7 million, the EU-funded Girdwood Community Hub opened its doors to the public in 2016, but its impact has been underwhelming.
The Hub’s redevelopment is a microcosm of the peace process itself, and the ways in which post-Agreement politics have failed to deliver a ‘shared future’ for the people of Northern Ireland, twenty-five years on. This ethnography provides a lively account of Girdwood’s redevelopment and a wry critique of the fractious political context around it. Through flânerie and encounter, the author brings us across peace walls, into community meetings and behind the scenes of decision-making in Northern Ireland. Girdwood’s story also sheds light on how power, politics and territory intersect in divided cities globally.
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Planning, Politics and Contested Space
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The First Step: Musings on History, Ethnography and Methodology
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Politicking and Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland: The Good Friday Agreement and its Prescriptions
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‘Frictions, factions and fractions’: Identity and Territory in North Belfast
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‘Unlocking the Potential’: Grassroots Advocacy and the Girdwood Draft Masterplan
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Ethnic Champions and the Zero-Sum Game: Political Dynamics of the Northern Ireland Assembly
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Carve-Up or Compromise? The Bid for the Girdwood Community Hub
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The Trouble with ‘Community’: Paramilitaries and the Peace Industry in Northern Ireland
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‘Shenanigans and Skullduggery’: Community Engagement and Argument at Girdwood
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Conclusion: ‘Better’ at Girdwood Community Hub: The Legacy of the Girdwood Development
Epilogue
