Leaving Violence Behind: Disengaging from Politically Motivated Violence in Northern Ireland

Ferguson, Neil and Burgess, Mark and Hollywood, Ian (2015) Leaving Violence Behind: Disengaging from Politically Motivated Violence in Northern Ireland. Political Psychology, 36. pp. 199-214. ISSN 1467-9221

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Abstract

This article explores the processes involved in leaving social movements or disengaging from terrorist activities by providing an analysis of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Red Hand Commando (RHC) transformation away from politically motivated violence towards a civilian non-military role. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was employed to gain an understanding of participant accounts of leaving violence behind and disengaging from terrorism. Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed the interplay of individual, organization and societal level processes in incentivizing and obstructing disengagement from politically motivated violence. The findings resonate with other case studies exploring the processes involved in disengagement from political violence among other terror groupings across the globe. The results are discussed in relation to a number of topics, including the implementation DDR in post-conflict societies, the dynamic role of collective identity in the engagement in and disengagement from politically motivated violence and the role of prison in shaping disengagement from politically motivated violence.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information and Comments:	This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Ferguson, N., Burgess, M. and Hollywood, I. (2015), Leaving Violence Behind: Disengaging from Politically Motivated Violence in Northern Ireland. Political Psychology, 36: 199–214., which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pops.12103/abstract . This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving
Keywords:	disengagement, deradicalization, terrorism, Northern Ireland, political violence
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Human and Digital Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User:	Philippe Chassy
Date Deposited:	17 Sep 2015 13:22
Last Modified:	15 Jan 2016 12:18
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/499

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