Redressing displacement in Northern Ireland: Identity, land and dealing with the past

Abstract

Northern Ireland has been an active site of transitional justice; however, the geographical and spatial implications of violence on housing, land and property issues have remained on the margins of academic, policy and practitioner attention. This is despite mass displacement and housing being key grievances at the outset of the conflict/Troubles in Northern Ireland. Nevertheless, this article explores the institutions and redress schemes brought in during the conflict to mitigate these violations, including the creation of an independent housing body the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. Paying particular attention to the impact of families and communities in rural and urban areas, the article finds that individualised redress processes during ongoing violence continues to replicate the long history of segregation and social mistrust. Moreover, redress offered tended to reinforce notions of loyalty to the state and underlined the difficulties of resolving housing and land issues during ongoing violence, which continues to reverberate during peacetime through continuing displacement and physical segregation.