Transforming responses to domestic violence in a politically contested environment: The case of Northern Ireland

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global phenomenon, but it takes on specific modalities in different cultural and geo-political settings. Drawing on empirical evidence from the Northern Irish case, this paper is concerned with investigating the relationship between these modalities and patterns of IPV, and the relationship between IPV and wider political violence. The Northern Irish context is notable for its seemingly successful transition from political violence to political settlement, but also for the high level of political and ethnic contestation that continues to exist at a societal level, and more generally for the conservative social structures and attitudes that pervade society. This paper elucidates the different ways in which these factors impact on patterns and experiences of IPV. It does so using longitudinal qualitative data gathered through the conduct of almost 400 in-depth semi-structured interviews with survivors of IPV and with the professional groups and agencies who offer support to them. These interviews were conducted at two junctures: first in 1992 at the height of the political conflict in Northern Ireland, and latterly in 2016 at a time of enduring peace. The findings trace the changes and improvements that have occurred in patterns of IPV, and the challenges that remain. The broader implications of these findings for both theory and policy are then discussed.