State Contestation Analysis

Register to read the introduction… The majority being the predominantly protestant Unionists, who wish for Northern Ireland to remain a part of the UK, and the Catholic Nationalists, who wish for Northern and Southern Ireland united. In this example, the state being contested was (between 1921 and 1972) the Unionist controlled Northern Irish government, and from 1972 to 1998, the British government, who directly governed NI during this period. The presence of the British Army during this period was representative of the British control over Northern Ireland and became a focus of resentment and hostility, largely by the nationalists, but also by the …show more content…
They contested this authority through various marches, the most famous of which took place in January 1972, and has become known as ‘Bloody Sunday,’ as a response to the 14 civilians who were killed by British soldiers. In the same year, the British parliament took direct control over the governing of Northern Ireland. This political action represented the states claim over the monopoly of legitimate force in Northern Ireland, a claim which was supported by the presence of the British army in Northern Ireland. This claim was violently challenged most famously by the IRA, a nationalist paramilitary body. The presence of British troops (and by association, the state) was also contested through a republican mural produced in 1994 to mark the 25th anniversary of British army presence in Northern Ireland. The mural read ‘time for peace, time to go’ and showed a line of soldiers following a road signed ‘to England.’ This mural illustrates that the painter felt the presence of the state was no longer legitimate. The loyalists also contested the legitimacy of the states implementation of a peace process through their ‘no surrender’ murals. It is noteworthy that the murals are only …show more content…
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