Consociationalism and the Northern Ireland peace process: The glass half full or half empty?

Abstract

This article argues that the slippery or elastic definition of consociationalism has allowed consociationalists to claim as a supporting case any conflict which appears to be moving towards resolution. The Northern Ireland case study illustrates how in 1991 leading consociationalists found ‘the glass half empty’ in Northern Ireland; conditions were not conducive to consociationalism. By 1996, however, there were claims that ‘recent events in Northern Ireland strengthen the evidence for consociational theory a great deal’. In fact the glass was half full after all.