Civic Parties In Divided Societies (northern Ireland And Bosnia-herzegovina)

Description

By (author) Murtagh Cera

Short /annotation:

Civic Parties in Divided Societies explores how societies transition from armed conflict to issue-based democracies.

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In Northern Ireland and Bosnia-Herzegovina, a new form of politics is emerging thirty years after conflict. Despite ongoing polarization, civic political parties – those that reject ethnonationalism and organize around alternative identities and issues – have formed, endured, and claimed political space. Notably, these parties have emerged within the context of consociational power-sharing, a political system explicitly designed to accommodate ethnonational groups.

The rise of civic politics challenges the dominant narrative of deeply divided societies. Cera Murtagh explores how countries transition from armed conflict to issue-based democracies, highlighting both the institutional barriers that civic parties face and the opportunities they can seize. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, including more than one hundred semi-structured elite interviews at critical political moments, Civic Parties in Divided Societies is the culmination of over a decade”s research on Northern Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and beyond.

How do societies move on from conflict, not just to the cessation of violence, but towards a fuller civic democracy? And how do they do so when institutions have been put in place to manage the conflict by recognizing ethnonational identity? Civic Parties in Divided Societies looks at how global political trends might shape the future of civic politics in societies rife with cleavages.

Table of contents:

Tables and Figures ix
Acknowledgements xi

Introduction: The Struggle Over Civic Politics in Divided Societies 3

1 Civic Solidarity in Divided Societies 17

2 Northern Ireland, Beyond the Binary 43

3 Northern Ireland: Civic Parties, Ethnic Rules 67

4 The Unwritten Rules in Northern Ireland 85

5 Navigating the System in Northern Ireland 109

6 The Plight of Civic Parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina 138

7 Navigating the System in Bosnia and Herzegovina 177

8 Civic Parties in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, and Beyond 193

Conclusion 211
Notes 219
References 241
Index 269

Review quote:

“Based on impressive scholarship, this book will provide insight to those studying post-conflict power-sharing and inform policymakers in divided societies – it is also a pleasure to read.” – Joanne McEvoy, University of Aberdeen

“Civic Parties in Divided Societies is a major contribution to the study of peace and democracy. Cera Murtagh has written an engaging, insightful, and inspiring book.” – Nenad Stojanović, University of Geneva

Biographical note:

Cera Murtagh is associate professor in political science at Villanova University.

Promotional headline:

How do reinvigorated politics emerge after ethnonational conflict?