Screening Violence: "Falsos Positivos" in Northern Ireland

The field work from the AHRC Project "Screening Violence: A Transnational Study of Post-Conflict Imaginaries" with partners in Newcastle and Bristol Universities, and works with co-investigators and partners in Algeria, Argentina, Colombia, Northern Ireland and Indonesia began this month. Data collection was undertaken in partnership with the Nerve Centre which included the screening of the Colombian film "Falsos Positivos" (see details). A focus group discussion took place following the film to engage the "social imagination of violence".

Mental Health Legacy of Northern Ireland's past

O'Neill, Siobhan and Hamber, Brandon (2019). Addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland's past. The View Digital, Issue 51, pp.30-31. [Read Online]

Survivor centred, trauma-informed approach

The government launched a consultation on "Addressing the Legacy of Northern Ireland's Past" earlier in 2018 with a closing date of October 2018.

As part of the responses to the consultation Professor Siobhan O'Neill and myself made a submission on "The need for a victim and survivor centred, trauma-informed approach". To read the submission, download here.

Image from CVSNI public information graphics

Historical Urbanism Project

Historical Urbanism is an AHRC-funded interdisciplinary research project that aims to understand how urban design influenced by historical and heritage data can be used to address issues such as ethnic/religious/class segregation in cities, as well as contributing to environmental sustainability and better public health. The project team is made up of academic researchers from Ulster University with interests in history, policy, architecture and design, planning, psychology, and peace and conflict studies. They are joined by project partners in local government departments of planning, regeneration and the environment; partners in the museums and heritage sector, and creative social entrepreneurs who provide digital fabrication skills to people living in an area of high unemployment and low educational attainment.

1970s public housing development in the
Fountain estate in Derry-Londonderry
Photo: Dr Adrian Grant

The project begins from the premise that good urban design should be cognisant of the needs of the people who live in, and use, the space in question. Therefore, urban design and regeneration projects should build from and be respectful of emotional connections to space and place formation. We intend to explore these connections through a historical prism by focusing on emotional memory and the connections people feel to the spaces in which they have lived, worked and socialised throughout their lives. The resultant research data will then be used to facilitate collaborative work between the researchers, case study area residents, local stakeholders, and planners, designers and architects.

The research team are Adrian Grant (Principal Investigator), David Coyles (Co-Investigator) and Brandon Hamber (Co-Investigator). Working closely with Derry City and Strabane District Council and the The Nerve Centre. The project runs from January 2019 — January 2021.

See all posts related to the Historical Urbanism Project.

Reconciliation: Northern Ireland Case Study

Hamber, B., & Kelly, G. (2018). Reconciliation: A Northern Ireland Case Study. In Kofi Annan Foundation and Interpeace (Eds), Challenging the Conventional: Can Post-Violence Reconciliation Succeed? (pp. 98-148). New York/Geneva: Kofi Annan Foundation & Interpeace [Download Chapter, Download Complete Book].

Pushing Boundaries Seminar: Hidden Barriers

On 7 November 2018, myself, Dr Coyles and Dr Grant made a presentation entitled "Hidden Barriers and Divisive Architecture: The Case of Belfast" at the Pushing Boundaries Seminar hosted by the School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences. This builds on our Cartographies of Conflict project.

See all the posts and activities about Cartographies of Conflict project.