In the last generation, Northern Ireland has undergone a tortuous yet remarkable process of social and political change. This collection of essays aims to capture the complex and shifting realities of a society in the process of transition from war to peace.

The book brings together commentators from a range of academic backgrounds and political perspectives. As well as focusing upon those political divisions and disputes that are most readily associated with Northern Ireland, it provides a rather broader focus than is conventionally found in books on the region. It examines the cultural identities and cultural practices that are essential to the formation and understanding of Northern Irish society but are neglected in academic analyses of the six counties.

While the contributors often approach issues from rather different angles, they share a common conviction of the need to challenge the self-serving simplifications and choreographed optimism that frequently define both official discourse and media commentary on Northern Ireland. Taken together, the essays offer a comprehensive and critical account of a troubled society in the throes of change.

List of tables
List of figures
Acknowledgements
1. Northern Ireland after the troubles? An introduction to the book - Colin Coulter and Michael Murray
PART I: POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS AND DIVISIONS
2. Telling stories, facing truths: memory, justice and post-conflict transition in Northern Ireland - Patricia Lundy and Mark McGovern
3. From conflict to communal politics: the politics of peace in Northern Ireland - Jonathan Tonge
4. Belfast: a segregated city - Peter Shirlow
5. Spatial planning in contested territory: the search for a place vision in 'post-troubles' Northern Ireland - William J.V.Neill and Geraint Ellis
6. Policing change in Northern Ireland: to reform or not to transform? - Mary O'Rawe
PART II: SOCIAL IDENTITIES
7. Religious change and persistence in contemporary Northern Ireland - Claire Mitchell
8. Gender and ethno-nationalist politics in Northern Ireland - Fidelma Ashe
9. The glacier moves? Economic change and class structure in Northern Ireland - Jim Smyth and Andreas Cebulla
10. Whiteness, racism and exclusion in Northern Ireland: a critical race perspective - Paul Connolly and Romana Khaoury
PART III: CULTURAL PRACTICES
11. Still taking sides: sport, leisure and identity in Northern Ireland - Alan Bairner
12. From shellshock rock to ceasefire sounds: popular music in Northern Ireland - Sean Campbell and Gerry Smyth
13. Housetraining the paramilitaries: the media and the propaganda of peace in Northern Ireland - Stephen Baker and Greg McLaughlin

Editors

Colin Coulter is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Michael Murray is Lecturer in Sociology at the Department of Adult and Community Education, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth