Northern Irish Political Futures before the Good Friday Agreement

这个项目的主要问题将集中在-在什么样的方式做了阿尔斯特统一和保皇派演员认为北方爱尔兰的未来在麻烦和这些想法如何对未来的影响和平进程？该项目将是一个政治和知识的历史，如何统一思想在新的和创造性的方式解决北方爱尔兰和如何这些发展有助于耶稣受难日协议。它将评估如何在统一思想的发展探索统一的身份，新的社区和北方爱尔兰的地方在联合王国的新形式的关系。这个项目的重要性有两个原因。首先，没有历史研究着眼于统一主义者的政治思想，并分析了统一主义者的思想在动乱期间发展的方式，以及对和平进程和耶稣受难日协议的贡献。因此，本研究将探讨现有文献中的一个重要空白，并加深对联合主义及其对北方爱尔兰和平进程的贡献的理解。其次，统一派仍需对有关北方爱尔兰政治前途的持续质疑做出回应。因此，这项研究的目的是使历史的理解，目前的政治辩论北方爱尔兰的future.Research背景下，意义和questionsThis研究可以作出原创性的和宝贵的贡献，现有的史学和我们的理解工会。统一主义的政治行动者和统一主义思想经常被误解，并被描述为“非理性和落后”（英语，1996年），并被视为“非智力”（麦克布赖德，1996年）。该项目将通过分析对北方爱尔兰和平进程作出重要贡献的统一主义政治思想的创新实例，挑战对统一主义的错误描述。该项目将有助于爱尔兰历史和政治思想在英国和爱尔兰的史学;将探索新的地面上的作用，工会对和平进程发挥。现有的文献工会和工会政治思想有一个强烈的重点是宗教和政治身份，宪法思想的工会与几个关键出版物是由阿尔文杰克逊，史蒂夫布鲁斯和理查德伯克。然而，这些著作和更广泛的文献中缺少两个关键方面。首先，目前没有深入分析统一主义者的思想如何在整个麻烦中发展，并设想了塑造和平进程的新政治未来。第二，在北方爱尔兰的Linen Hall图书馆和公共记录办公室有大量的原始资料，但仍然没有得到充分利用。因此，本项目将有助于现有的史学采取一个原始的角度，并利用以前未公布的文件。本项目将探讨以下研究问题：是什么不同的动机和价值观，支持统一党的建议，为未来的定居点阿尔斯特？联合主义者以什么方式阐明了联合主义者和民族主义者之间、阿尔斯特和英国之间以及阿尔斯特和爱尔兰之间的新关系？包括关于多元主义和包容性版本的工会主义的新想法？统一派和保皇派对未来阿尔斯特的看法有哪些不同？ 身份认同和统一主义思想的发展如何促进和平进程？研究方法本项目将分析一系列的二级和档案来源，以回答上述研究问题。材料的主要来源将来自贝尔法斯特的亚麻厅图书馆，该图书馆保存着大量关于麻烦的相关材料，其中许多在历史研究中仍然没有得到充分利用。我还将使用PRONI，大英图书馆保存的材料，并在适当的情况下进行口述历史采访。

The main question this project will focus on is - in what ways did Ulster Unionist and Loyalist actors think about Northern Ireland's future during The Troubles and how did these ideas about the future influence the peace process?The project will be a political and intellectual history of how Unionists thought in new and creative ways about a settlement for Northern Ireland and how these developments contributed to the Good Friday Agreement. It will assess how this development in Unionist thought explored new forms of Unionist identity, new relationships across communities and Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom. This project is significant for two reasons. First, no historical study has looked at Unionist political thought and analysed the way in which Unionist thought developed during The Troubles and contributed to the peace process and Good Friday Agreement. This study will therefore explore an important gap in the existing literature and develop a greater understanding in Unionism and its contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process. Second, Unionists still need to respond to ongoing questions about Northern Ireland's political future. This study will therefore aim to bring a historical understanding to current political debates about Northern Ireland's future.Research context, significance and questionsThis study can make an original and valuable contribution to the existing historiography and to our understanding of Unionism. Unionist political actors and Unionist thought are often misunderstood and characterised as 'irrational and backward' (English, 1996) and seen as 'unintellectual' (McBride, 1996). This project will challenge mischaracterisations of Unionism by analysing instances of innovation in Unionist political thought which made important contributions to the Northern Ireland peace process. The project will contribute to the historiography of Irish history and political thought in the UK and Ireland; will explore new ground about the role that Unionism played towards the peace process.The existing literature on Unionism and Unionist political thought has a strong focus on religious and political identities, and the constitutional thought of Unionists with several key publications being by Alvin Jackson, Steve Bruce and Richard Bourke.However, two key aspects are missing from these works and the wider literature. First, there is currently no in-depth analysis of how Unionist thought developed throughout The Troubles, and envisioned new political futures which shaped the peace process. Second, there is a wealth of primary material at the Linen Hall Library and at the Public Records Office in Northern Ireland which remains under-used. This project will therefore contribute to the existing historiography by taking an original perspective and making use of previously unreleased documents.This project will explore the following research questionst: What were the different motivations and values which underpinned Unionist proposals for future settlements for Ulster? In what ways did Unionists articulate new relationships between Unionists and Nationalists, between Ulster and the UK and Ulster and Ireland? Including new ideas about pluralist and inclusive versions of Unionism? In what ways did Unionist and Loyalist visions for a future Ulster differ? How did the developments in identities and Unionist thought contribute to the peace process? Research methods This project will analyse a range of secondary and archival sources to answer the above research questions. The primary source of material will come from the Linen Hall Library in Belfast which maintains a large archive of relevant material about The Troubles, lots of which has remained under-used in historical research. I will also use materials held at PRONI, the British Library and conduct oral history interviews where appropriate.