Paper short abstract:

This presentation explores imitation and dialogue in murals in Northern Ireland. Unionist and nationalist communities draw on a shared history and identify parallel claims to victimhood. Although drawing on similar resources, the aim of the 'two traditions' is to assert different loyalties, ideals and ‘imagined communities’. The essence of imitation is to express difference rather than commonality. The paper will feature images of a number of murals in Northern Ireland.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation explores imitation and dialogue in murals in Northern Ireland. The 'two communities' (unionist and nationalist) draw on a shared history and identify parallel claims to victimhood. Moreover, they use similar cultural patterns and visual techniques in painting their visual images on walls across the province. These murals are interactive landscapes in which there is active engagement with both own and other community. Moreover, no mural operates in isolation. Instead there is a network of murals across the region and each one contributes meaning to the larger conceptual framework in shaping senses of place. Exploring historical narratives of victory, dispossession and victimhood, this paper suggests that murals are crucial elements in the construction of Irish and British senses of place. Although drawing on similar resources, the aim of unionists and nationalists is to confirm different loyalties, ideals and 'imagined communities'. The essence of imitation is to express difference rather than commonality and to communicate that difference to themselves and others. The paper will feature images of a number of murals in Northern Ireland.