Turning Agreement to Process: Republicanism and Change in Ireland

Abstract

In this article we examine the northern Irish peace process and the 1998 Belfast Agreement to ask whether they provide the basis for radical change of that society. We analyse the problems of ethnic and class inequality in the north, and the associated need for the regeneration of economically marginalised areas. Two questions are examined in this regard. First, does the peace process provide a basis for the social changes that will be necessary to move toward equality and democracy? Second, can Republicanism, in particular, promote the radical agenda that is necessary to provoke such basic social change? © 1999, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.