ABSTRACT
Educational change does not happen in a vacuum; it is always contextually and historically situated. Northern Ireland is a divided society—divisions that are deeply rooted in differing historical interpretations and grievances, thus “histories.” This chapter acknowledges the differences among these histories and the complexity of identities while providing a broad historical context from which to understand the educational reforms and changes that have taken place in the past several decades in Northern Ireland. This chapter focuses on several key historical events guided by scholarly research and “community narratives” (Smith 2005) from the author's ethnographic research. These narratives demonstrate the ways in which these past events are part of individuals’ consciousness today and ultimately influence education.
