Protestant Alienation in Northern Ireland: A Political, Cultural and Geographical Examination

Abstract

It is claimed that the Protestant community in Northern Ireland has become increasingly alienated. Unionist politicians, Protestant church leaders and the media have all referred to ‘Protestant alienation’. Yet, conceptually speaking, there exists a lack of clarity not only about the term but also about the factors which may give rise to it. Accordingly, this paper attempts to explore the phenomenon from three interconnected perspectives: political, cultural and geographical. It is argued that, when researched in this way, a clearer (but in no way perfect) understanding of the term is achieved and a better comprehension of the generating factors of Protestant alienation is gained. It is also suggested that, at a time when the voting preferences of unionists have shifted away from the more moderate political articulations of the Ulster Unionist Party, Protestant alienation might be considered to be a timely subject to investigate.

Keywords:

• Alienation
• Protestantism
• Unionism
• Marginalisation
• Ethnicity
• Northern Ireland

Notes

1. The election of 26 November 2003 confirmed 30 DUP members elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The party now has a total of 33 as a result of the defection of 3 Ulster Unionists. In the 2005 elections the DUP swamped the Ulster Unionist Party with 9 MPs to the UUP's 1.

2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3599318.stm

3. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/1669044.stm

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Neil Southern

Neil Southern was, until recently, Research Associate at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland