ABSTRACT
I mean it’s not just you’re a Catholic, it’s that they think you’re a Catholic and that’s what fears me.
(Catholic female, thirties)
Violence, segregation and the spatialised nature of fear in Northern Ireland
The paramilitary ceasefires of 1994-97 and the attendant ‘peace process’ have brought significant change to everyday life in Northern Ireland. However, sectarian violence remains an aspect of daily reality for many people. High levels of residential segregation in urban areas show few signs of diminishing. Segregation is most pronounced in districts that are working-class in composition. While neither the intensity of sectarian violence nor segregation is uniform across Northern Ireland, they continue to form the social and spatial parameters within which many people’s everyday lives take place.
