Growing up in a divided society

In this book, Sean Byrne describes the results of a study of the political development of thirty-five Protestant and Catholic schoolchildren between the ages of eleven and sixteen attending integrated and nonintegrated secondary schools in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The research maps Belfast schoolchildren's images of political violence, political authority figures, and their views about the possibility for peaceful change.

Byrne's study was designed to explore the images of conflict among Belfast youth, to identify probable causes, and to explore the effects and ways, particularly in school settings, to resolve the political violence that has wracked Northern Ireland for so many years.

The stories of the schoolchildren who participated in this study demonstrate that the conflict in Northern Ireland is more than a religious conflict; it is about economic, political, historical, and psychological issues. It is particularly an ideological struggle with a deeply felt attachment to the historical and cultural symbolism of the British monarchy that directs the socialization process of Protestant schoolchildren.

Most importantly, Byrne's research brings to light a vision of hope for change shared by some of the participants, reversing the commonly held belief that despair reigns supreme in conflict-ridden areas. The project also reflects Byrne's belief in the importance of the analysis of conflicts and their just resolutions.

One of the key unanswered questions related to youth violence and tolerance is the effect of social diversity on daily experience. By examining children's political imagery, this project significantly expands existing work on troubled and neglected youth in Northern Ireland, South Africa, and the Middle East. The current changing political context within Northern Ireland reflects that a process of peace-building has begun and that integrated schooling is an important cornerstone of that process.