Ideologies and identities are central to the organisation of political life and political conflict, yet most empirical studies tend to obscure their significance. This failure to take the politics of identity seriously arises from an absence of adequate theory and method. This 1996 study draws on both social theory and psychological (especially psychoanalytic) theory in an attempt to overcome these lacunae. First, it develops a novel theory and method for the analysis of ideology and identity. Second, it develops a detailed analysis of the politics of identity in Northern Ireland through focusing upon Unionist ideology and Unionist identities in crisis. The political conflict within Unionism is analysed through a consideration of the variety of unconscious rules drawn upon by political actors and citizens in the making of Northern Ireland's history of the late 1980s.

A fresh theory of ideology explaining how identities of people and groups lead to embedded conflict.
Reviews
"Cash makes an important contribution to the study of politics in Northern Ireland....provocative and interesting..." Choice



Book Information
ISBN 9780521550529
Author John Daniel Cash
Format Hardback
Page Count 242
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 487g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 160mm * 20mm