The Belfast Boycott: Sectarianism in Anti-Partition Rhetoric
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
Ellensburg
Event Website
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source
Start Date
18-5-2020
Abstract
The Belfast Boycott was a protest designed to dislodge loyalism in Northern Ireland and punish its adherents for perceived intolerance toward Catholics. The boycott was set off by the expulsion of several thousand Catholic workers from employment in Belfast in July 1920. A total boycott of all goods coming from Belfast was implemented in September 1920. Both unionists and nationalists attempted to legitimize their actions in the context of the boycott by framing them as non-sectarian, realizing the need to distance themselves from accusations of religious bigotry. For the boycott to be viewed as legitimate, it had to be framed as a political, rather than a religious, act. However, the Dáil’s goals regarding the boycott were both political and economic. One of these goals was to punish Belfast for unfair treatment of Catholics. The larger goal of the boycott, however, was to eliminate Protestant ascendancy and end partition. One key aspect of boycott promotion was the assurance that only by boycotting could partition end. This paper will explore the ways in which southern Irish nationalists used the Belfast Boycott, often in contradictory ways, to attempt to both punish Belfast while simultaneously calling for Irish unity. College of Arts & Humanities Presentation Award Winner.
Recommended Citation
Omans, Katie, "The Belfast Boycott: Sectarianism in Anti-Partition Rhetoric" (2020). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 20.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2020/CAH/20
Department/Program
History
Additional Mentoring Department
https://cwu.studentopportunitycenter.com/2020/04/the-belfast-boycott-sectarianism-in-anti-partition-rhetoric/
The Belfast Boycott: Sectarianism in Anti-Partition Rhetoric
Ellensburg
The Belfast Boycott was a protest designed to dislodge loyalism in Northern Ireland and punish its adherents for perceived intolerance toward Catholics. The boycott was set off by the expulsion of several thousand Catholic workers from employment in Belfast in July 1920. A total boycott of all goods coming from Belfast was implemented in September 1920. Both unionists and nationalists attempted to legitimize their actions in the context of the boycott by framing them as non-sectarian, realizing the need to distance themselves from accusations of religious bigotry. For the boycott to be viewed as legitimate, it had to be framed as a political, rather than a religious, act. However, the Dáil’s goals regarding the boycott were both political and economic. One of these goals was to punish Belfast for unfair treatment of Catholics. The larger goal of the boycott, however, was to eliminate Protestant ascendancy and end partition. One key aspect of boycott promotion was the assurance that only by boycotting could partition end. This paper will explore the ways in which southern Irish nationalists used the Belfast Boycott, often in contradictory ways, to attempt to both punish Belfast while simultaneously calling for Irish unity. College of Arts & Humanities Presentation Award Winner.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2020/CAH/20
Faculty Mentor(s)
Jason Knirck