Organic Intellectuals and the New Loyalism: Re‐Inventing Protestant Working‐Class Politics in Northern Ireland

Abstract

New loyalism is an effort to reinterpret the loyalist tradition through a more class‐based focus. The current study examines the work of community activists in Belfast to promote a new loyalist politics and to organize members of the Protestant working class into a self‐conscious political force. In the process these community workers challenge the traditional deferential role of the working class within unionism. They reject the politics of unionist elected officials while advocating an independent and activist involvement by residents in their communities. The study is based on interviews with 18 community activists about their understanding of loyalism and also their organizing efforts. Antonio Gramsci’s concept of the organic intellectual is employed as a theoretical framework for interpreting the ideas and actions of these community workers. The argument is made that while the subjects of this study do not correspond in every respect to Gramsci’s concept, they do embody the heart of his idea.