Mural Painting, Conflict & Reconciliation in Northern Ireland: Local Community vs. National Politics (2008)

Undergraduates: Mary-Kathryn Rallings, none none none

Faculty Advisor: Norris Johnson
Department: Anthropology

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Public art has been present in Northern Ireland in the form of wall murals for more than 100 years. Serving as markers of territory or declarations of allegiance throughout history, particularly throughout The Troubles, some of the murals presently are more likely to represent current events and issues faced by both Protestant and Catholic communities. “Re-imaging Communities,” a £3.3 million initiative of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, is aimed at removing ‘violent’ and ‘sectarian’ murals. This thesis examines the effects of the involvement of a national organization in the removal of locally-generated art and explores reciprocal vs. sequential understandings of the interrelationship of art, conflict and conflict resolution. Should this interrelationship be understood as reciprocal, in which an instance of conflict inspires the creation of art, which then incites further violence? Or, should this interrelationship be understood as sequential, in which the instance of conflict inspires the creation of art which can then foster reconciliation? Via literary and archival research, as well as ethnographic research conducted throughout Northern Ireland during December 2007, this thesis concludes that, rather than murals embodying the potential to incite violence, murals instead have the potential to foster reconciliation when communities are left to express their own perspectives and create their own art - without nationally-imposed censorship.