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Reconciliation in Northern Ireland: the value of inter-group contact

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Miles Hewstone  and
Joanne Hughes
Miles Hewstone
Affiliation:
University of Oxford, UK, email miles.hewstone@psy.ox.ac.uk
Joanne Hughes
Affiliation:
Queen's University Belfast, UK
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Abstract

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Northern Ireland is still riven by segregation, caught between peace and reconciliation. Extensive survey research shows that inter-group contact has a key role to play in achieving reconciliation, whether through generic contact, cross-group friends (most effective) or indirect. Segregation is most profound in education. The new Shared Education Programme (SEP), which provides children with the opportunity to study with and meet pupils from the other community, has demonstrated benefits. The Northern Ireland Assembly's support for SEP is based on sound psychological principles and robust research evidence.

Type
Thematic papers: Reconciliation and conflict resolution
Information
BJPsych International , Volume 12 , Issue 3 , August 2015 , pp. 65 - 67
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists 2015

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