Introduction to the Geopolitics of Conflict, Nationalism, and Reconciliation in Ireland

Kara E. Dempsey is Associate Professor of political geography at Appalachian State University, part of the University of North Carolina system, and former Director of Irish Studies at DePaul University. She studies the intersection of politics and geography at various scales, particularly the utilization of space in the negotiation and production of ethnonational conflicts, consolidation of state and regional power, conflict transformation, and peacebuilding processes.

This fine monograph successfully captures the complexities of the geopolitics of Irish-British relations and nation- and state-making in Ireland. It explores the diverse ways in which political territoriality finds expression in the mutation of ethnonational territorial conflict, the making of internal and external borders, and the crafting of ethnic, national, and sectarian identities as place-identities. Adopting a cross-scalar geographic perspective on Ireland’s geopolitics that spans the region, cities, and their granular public spaces, Dempsey pays close attention to how place and landscape manifest fundamental elements of conflict, nationalism, and peace-building. Based on significant fieldwork and archival research, the book makes important contributions to political and cultural geography. Ultimately, Dempsey’s erudite narrative helps us understand the intricate geopolitical transformation of Ireland at key stages of state formation, after the region’s Europeanist turn and, now, in post-Brexit’s uncertain times. All that is done in a manner accessible to a general audience while providing sophisticated scholarly analysis that would satisfy a broad range of academic readers.Alex G Papadopoulos, Department of Geography, DePaul University, USAThis book is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the complexity of Ireland’s political geography over the past 100 years. As a decade of centenary commemorations draw to a close, Dempsey’s book is particularly timely. Reflecting on seminal moments from partition to Brexit, 'Geopolitics of Conflict, Nationalism, and Reconciliation in Ireland’ explores the role of geography in ethno-national conflict and identity politics. Beautifully written and expertly framed, it offers a compelling insight into the trajectory of conflict and peacebuilding on this island. Sara McDowell, School of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Ulster UniversityThis book is an informative, accessible, engaging introduction to the cultural and political geography of Northern Ireland. Drawing on extensive field work and the voices of local people, Kara Dempsey has put together an account that offers telling insights into the ways geopolitical context reflects and shapes ethnonational dynamics in the country. The book would be an excellent resource for courses in Irish Studies, and a valuable complement to more general readings in political geography and European Studies classes.Alec Murphy, Department of Geography, University of Oregon, USA

• 1.Foundations: Nationalist Struggles and Geopolitical Divisions. 2.Contested Territorialities: The 1916 Rising and the Irish War of Independence. 3.Partition and Division: The Anglo-Irish Treaty, Civil War, and Ireland Divided. 4."The Troubles" Across Various Scales. 5.The Walls Within: Segregation, Peacelines, and Flags. 6.Ethnonational Spatial Strategies and Transgressions: Political Parades and Murals. 7.Hope for the Future I: "Shared" space in north Belfast. 8.Hope for the Future II: Employment of the Garden of Remembrance in the Republic of Ireland. Conclusion.Renegotiating National Memory and Brexit: An Uncertain Future in Ireland