Memory, Politics and Identity

By: Cillian Mcgrattan

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Synopsis: The question of how to move beyond contentious pasts exercises societies across the globe. Focusing on the Northern Irish case, Memory, Identity, Politics examines how historical injustices continue to haunt contemporary lives, and how institutional and juridical approaches to 'dealing' with the past often give way to at best a silencing consensus and at worst a re-marginalising of victims. Drawing on ideas from post-colonial theory and transitional justice as well as thinkers such as Derrida, Ricoeur and Pocock, this book provides a fresh perspective on the residual force of history in post-conflict situations. It maps the reproduction of ideas and narratives through media and cultural representations and suggests that the answer to the question of moving forward may be located in the combination of historical accuracy and ethical pluralism.