Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2011 |
| Event | International Sociological Association RC21 Conference 2011. The struggle to belong: dealing with diversity in 21st century urban settings. University of Amsterdam - Amsterdam, Netherlands Duration: 14 Jul 2011 → 16 Jul 2011 |
Conference
| Conference | International Sociological Association RC21 Conference 2011. The struggle to belong: dealing with diversity in 21st century urban settings. University of Amsterdam |
|---|---|
| Country | Netherlands |
| City | Amsterdam |
| Period | 14/07/2011 → 16/07/2011 |
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Keywords
- Urban Studies
- Cultural Quarters
- Minority Languages
- Conflict Transformation
- Irish Studies
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Representing Irishness in Belfast’s Gaeltacht Quarter. / Carden, Siun.
2011. Paper presented at International Sociological Association RC21 Conference 2011. The struggle to belong: dealing with diversity in 21st century urban settings. University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper
TY - CONF
T1 - Representing Irishness in Belfast’s Gaeltacht Quarter
AU - Carden, Siun
PY - 2011/7
Y1 - 2011/7
N2 - This paper examines a place-making project in post-conflict Belfast, analyzing efforts to transform an area which has often been used as a byword for militant Irish nationalism and social deprivation into an inclusive, vibrant tourist destination and cultural hub themed around the Irish language (called the "Gaeltacht Quarter‟). The antagonistic and territorial assumptions about place that characterize divided cities now co-exist with global trends towards the commodification of difference as recreation or spectacle, and longstanding struggles over the representation of contested identities are intertwined with the struggle to compete for international tourism and investment. The proliferation of officially themed quarters in many cities across the world reflects the enthusiasm with which planning authorities have embraced the vision of difference as a benign resource for the creation of tourist revenue. Yet, analysis of „quartering‟ processes reveals that such commodification does not neutralise or evade the political potency of naming, representing and delimiting cultural difference. Indeed, this paper argues that such projects offer a valuable insight into the inseparable roles of physical and representational space as both loci and catalysts of contestation in urban conflicts. Bringing together a wide range of public and private interest groups, projects redefining parts of Belfast as distinctive quarters have been explicitly linked with efforts to deterritorialize the city. The creation of bounded, themed spaces as an attempt to leave behind the ethno-sectarian geographical segregation that parts of Belfast still experience has its particular ironies, but is in many ways typical of contemporary trends in urban planning. The Gaeltacht Quarter exemplifies both the importance and the challenge of representation within cities where culturally distinguishing features have acted as markers of violent division, and where negotiations about how to successfully encompass difference necessarily address multiple local and international audiences simultaneously.
AB - This paper examines a place-making project in post-conflict Belfast, analyzing efforts to transform an area which has often been used as a byword for militant Irish nationalism and social deprivation into an inclusive, vibrant tourist destination and cultural hub themed around the Irish language (called the "Gaeltacht Quarter‟). The antagonistic and territorial assumptions about place that characterize divided cities now co-exist with global trends towards the commodification of difference as recreation or spectacle, and longstanding struggles over the representation of contested identities are intertwined with the struggle to compete for international tourism and investment. The proliferation of officially themed quarters in many cities across the world reflects the enthusiasm with which planning authorities have embraced the vision of difference as a benign resource for the creation of tourist revenue. Yet, analysis of „quartering‟ processes reveals that such commodification does not neutralise or evade the political potency of naming, representing and delimiting cultural difference. Indeed, this paper argues that such projects offer a valuable insight into the inseparable roles of physical and representational space as both loci and catalysts of contestation in urban conflicts. Bringing together a wide range of public and private interest groups, projects redefining parts of Belfast as distinctive quarters have been explicitly linked with efforts to deterritorialize the city. The creation of bounded, themed spaces as an attempt to leave behind the ethno-sectarian geographical segregation that parts of Belfast still experience has its particular ironies, but is in many ways typical of contemporary trends in urban planning. The Gaeltacht Quarter exemplifies both the importance and the challenge of representation within cities where culturally distinguishing features have acted as markers of violent division, and where negotiations about how to successfully encompass difference necessarily address multiple local and international audiences simultaneously.
KW - Urban Studies
KW - Cultural Quarters
KW - Minority Languages
KW - Conflict Transformation
KW - Irish Studies
M3 - Paper
ER -