Between cultural violence and symbolic reparations: the risk and utility of Irish Republican Reparative memorials

Drawing on data from 141 site visits, 20 interviews with Irish Republicans, and discourse analysis of 53 Irish Republican commemorative orations, I examine three themes: victimhood politics, State denial and counter-memory, and gender. I find that although Irish Republican memorials exacerbate harm for some victims of Republican violence by creating a hierarchy of remembrance, they also acknowledge victims of British State violence and aid them in their call for truth, justice, and reparations.

Furthermore, I demonstrate how memorial makers can improve their memorial's reparative effects by prioritising victim ownership. I aim to contribute to a more nuanced view of memory production within transitional justice that captures the complexities and contradictions involved in coming to terms with a violent past. </p><br><i>Thesis embargoed until 31st December 2027</i>