Empire and Nation

Book excerpt: This book considers the politics of the Protestant Unionist Loyalist population in Northern Ireland during and following the peace process, and the political positioning of the main organizations representing organizations representing them as they inch towards a post-conflict society. Throughout the contemporary period, unionism has remained multilayered in its responses to key political events, sometimes reacting in complex and fractured ways that make it difficult for those outside that world to comprehend. One central question, however, remains. However, remains. How, if at all, has unionism changed following the political accord and the establishment of devolved government? The book sets out in detail how senses of identity and political processes are understood within unionism and how unionists and loyalists interpret these as a basis for social and political action. Using a wide range of sources the book highlights how new (and often competing) political discourses emerging from within have caused the reorganization of unionism, especially in response to those political groupings, which became known as `new loyalism' and `new unionism'. The book further investigates the dynamics behind the social and political fractures within unionism, identifying various fractions within contemporary unionism and loyalism and suggesting reasons for the flux within unionist politics.