Ulster Says Maybe: The Restructuring of Evangelical Politics in Northern Ireland

Gladys Ganiel*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    30 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The recent electoral triumphs of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) have stimulated debate about the role of fundamentalist or ‘traditional evangelical’ Protestantism within the party and in Northern Irish politics. This paper argues that a significant restructuring of evangelical politics is taking place, one that is interest group‐centred rather than DUP‐centred. This process has been facilitated by changes in the structure of civil society. Traditional evangelical interest groups are ‘reframing’ their political projects in surprising new ways: abandoning Calvinist conceptions of church and state, using discourses of marginalisation and discrimination, and focusing on ‘moral’ issues. These subtle shifts in rhetoric constitute an acceptance of the post‐Belfast Agreement order. Rather than the tired, ‘Ulster Says No’ politics of the past, evangelicals are speaking out with a pragmatic ‘maybe’. This move parallels and reinforces the DUP’s ideological shifts, and provides an extra‐party platform for evangelicals to impact politics.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)137-155
    Number of pages19
    JournalIrish Political Studies
    Volume21
    Issue number2
    Early online date16 Aug 2006
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2006

    Keywords

    • Religion
    • Northern Ireland; conflict; community; informal control; identity

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Social Sciences

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