Drawing upon his experiences working for the British Consulate General in Los Angeles and the Foreign Office's Joint Export Promotion Directorate in London, Charles Shivers chose to begin this project.  Through his research, Shivers gained a sense of self-confidence and further developed his ability to think critically about words and their logical connotations.  His advice to others: choose a topic you are extremely interested in.

The purpose of this paper will be to demonstrate that the conflict in Northern Ireland is not due to religious reasons, but due to two politically motivated interest groups.  These groups are composed of the Protestants/Unionists and the Catholics/Nationalists who adhere to mutually exclusive definitions of self, and who are both in conflict over a status quo, which has placed the Catholics in a position subordinate to Protestant domination.   This paper explains the reasons behind the creation of these two groups, how the Protestants have been able to maintain their position of dominance over the Catholics, and what it will take to end the conflict.

Paula Garb School of Social Sciences

Charles Shivers set out to demonstrate that the conflict in Northern Ireland has not been due to religious differences, but to tensions between politically motivated interest groups.  He wanted to explain how the politics and economics of dominance have played a key role in perpetuating the conflict, and how this situation was changing, providing some hope for a breakthrough.  Not long after he finished his thesis the world watched in awe as the Good Friday Agreement was signed that brought peace to the long suffering region.  Charles persistently sharpened his thinking on the subject and revised the structure and style of his composition.  He can be congratulated for his insightful analysis and original writing.

Copyright © 1998 by the Regents of the University of California.  All rights reserved.