Women and political violence in Northern Ireland: newspaper imagery during the troubles

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the ways in which women engaged in acts of political violence in Northern Ireland during the Troubles were depicted by the print media. Media is often used to reinforce a particular point of view, especially during conflict, when each side wants to portray its own perspective favorably and depict the adversary as negatively as possible. This article begins with background about the Troubles and reviews some of the ways that Republican (generally Catholic) women became more involved in the struggle indirectly for example, by using gendered approaches to ‘lure’ soldiers, or directly, by engaging in acts of political violence. What is especially important are the ways in which the press depicted these women using gender stereotypes to convey a particular political point of view. The focus on the ways in which violent women were portrayed during the Troubles allows us to move beyond the notion of ‘women's invisibility’ by reminding us that women and their actions were very visible to the general public through the press, albeit in a gendered way. This analysis provides a more complete understanding of women's roles during the Troubles.