Negotiating Identity and Belonging: Migration Narratives of Protestants from Northern Ireland1

Visual and textual narratives of conflict-related displacement in Northern Ireland

“…Net migration peaked in the decade immediately following partition (Trew 2007). Migration rates dropped during the 1930s, rose during the 1950s and rose again during the 1970s, partially in response to intense periods of civil unrest and violence (Trew 2007;Devlin 2013). Johanne Devlin Trew argues that conflict was 'a motivating factor,' as was Northern Ireland's laggard socio-economic status (Trew 2007, 28).…”

“…Johanne Devlin Trew argues that conflict was 'a motivating factor,' as was Northern Ireland's laggard socio-economic status (Trew 2007, 28). Between partition and 1998, more people migrated from, rather than to, Northern Ireland (Trew 2007). More than twice as many of those who left between 1920 and 1980 were Catholic/nationalists who left Northern Ireland because of Protestant/unionist political rule and discriminatory employment practices (Anderson and Shuttleworth 1998;Trew 2007).…”

“…Both murals are photographed to capture only the gable ends on which they are displayed, linking narratives and responsibility for their repetition directly to Catholic/nationalist residents of Bombay Street. Textual and visual accounts of protestant/unionist displacement In Protestant/unionist narratives of displacement, community vulnerability is constructed as a consequence of rural population distribution, low population density and threats emanating from both sides of the border -from the adjacent, predominantly Catholic/nationalist Republic of Ireland and from border counties in Northern Ireland, where Protestant/unionist residents are outnumbered two to one (Donnan 2005;Trew 2007). Community vulnerability is also constructed as the result of British government ineffectiveness in remedying their border precariousness (McKay 2000;Mc Ginty 2004;Gillespie 2006;Southern 2007).…”

Espacios de vida y subjetividades de los jornaleros agrícolas: reglamentaciones morales en sociedades agroempresariales contemporáneas.

“…Por parte de los pobladores locales la estigmatización de los jornaleros permite la tolerancia de formas crueles e ilegales de existencia (sin seguridad social, trabajo infantil riesgoso, insalubridad en viviendas, agresiones físicas). Se ha documentado una diversidad de efectos de las interacciones entre migrantes con la población local: que se adapten los migrantes (Trew, 2007;Phillips et al, 2007); que mantengan identidades culturales (Tyler, 2006); que generen a lot of rent. I regret that I don't work.…”

“…On the side of local residents, the stigmatization of day laborers allows them the tolerance of cruel and illegal forms of existence (without social security, with risky child labor, unhealthiness in housing, physical aggressions). A diversity of effects has been documented from the interactions between migrants and the local population: that migrants adapt (Trew, 2007;Phillips et al, 2007); that they retain cultural identities (Tyler, 2006); that they generate transformations and adaptations in the local population (Vergunst, 2009). Given the characteristics of mobility, family migration and lack of properties in the place of origin, the restrictions in bunkhouses show that day laborers in VY are a sector forced to adapt to certain special conditions, without this entailing any sort of social integration that is beneficial to them.…”