Ex-Combatants, Religion, and Peace in Northern Ireland: The Role of Religion in Transitional Justice (Palgrave Studies in Compromise after Conflict)

Studies of Northern Ireland's ex-combatants ignore religion, while advocates of religious interventions in transitional justice exaggerate its influence. Using interview data with ex-combatants, this book explores religious influences upon violence and peace, and develops a model for evaluating the role of religion in transitional justice. "Much has been written about the influence of religion on the Northern Ireland conflict and the part played by ex-combatants in the peace process. Yet we know very little about the religious outlook of ex-combatants themselves. Are they personally devout? Is religion important to their political identity? Did faith play a role in their decision to take up arms, or lay them down? And now that their war is over, does religion help them cope with the past Based on original interviews with ex-combatants from across the political and religious divide, this book addresses these questions, shedding new light on the interplay of religion, identity and violence in Ireland. It also shows how the case of Northern Ireland illuminates the current international debate around religion and peacemaking. Arguing that advocates of religious interventions in transitional justice often naively exaggerate its influence, a theoretical model for understanding the role of religion in transitional justice is proposed"--Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Introduction....Pages 1-7 Religion and the Northern Ireland Conflict....Pages 8-30 The Personal Faith of Ex-Combatants....Pages 31-44 Religion and Motivations for Violence....Pages 45-70 Religion and Prison....Pages 71-90 Ex-Combatants and the Churches....Pages 91-117 Perspectives on the Past: Religion in the Personal and the Political....Pages 118-152 Conclusion: Religion and Transitional Justice in Northern Ireland....Pages 153-176 Back Matter....Pages 177-192