ABSTRACT
Many approaches to violent conflict in divided societies are based on creating new sociopolitical structures within which it is hoped that people, acting rationally and reasonably, can then live in peace. In Northern Ireland, where that model had failed over many years, a new step was taken that started with the recognition that communities in tension rarely act in their own rational self-interest; nor are they persuaded by arguments that appear reasonable to outsiders. When the focus was moved to the analysis of disturbed historic relations between communities, two processes seemed to be highlighted in terms of how to engage with these differences: 1) dialogue to express these relationships; and 2) creative arts as a mode of communication and exploration. When embracing these processes, societal structures, underpinned by a new community architecture, may then be constructed, through which communities could express their divergent ways of being, without violence and without war. This chapter explores and gives examples of these processes.
