Reluctant Diasporas of Northern Ireland: Migrant Narratives of Home, Conflict, Difference
This article discusses diaspora with specific regard to Northern Ireland as a contested homeland, now vaunted as a post-conflict zone. Taking a practice-led approach, I examine evidence of diasporic consciousness and transnational practices through life-narrative interviews with migrants
from Northern Ireland during two studies on contemporary migration (2004-08). I conclude that developing a sense of belonging to the Irish diaspora may be problematic for Catholics, Protestants and others originating within the contested space of Northern Ireland. I suggest that studying local
and family diasporas in the Irish context, with a focus on individual agency, may ultimately be more useful in understanding migration and its impact on processes of identity formation.
Keywords: Diaspora; Home; Life-Narratives; Migration; Northern Ireland
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: University of Ulster,
Publication date: 01 April 2010
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