Changing borders: Identity, citizenship, and belonging in twenty-first century Ireland

Perhaps nowhere have the ramifications of Brexit been felt so keenly than on the Irish Border. Since the partition of Ireland in 1921 the Border has been a place of contestation, where change needs to be handled sensitively. The Brexit process has, however, threatened to undo the progress made since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

On voting to leave the EU, for the first-time questions of how to avoid a hard border within the Island of Ireland, whilst preserving the status of the North as part of the United Kingdom (and therefore outside of the EU), came into question. The 8 years following the vote have been tumultuous. It has arguably reinvigorated calls and discussion around the constitutional question in Northern Ireland and whether the state should remain with the UK or become part of a United Ireland.

This innovative symposium brings together academic, youth and creative voices to consider what the future of the Irish Border might look like with opportunities for discussions on everything from sea borders to a ‘New Ireland’. It is open to academics, policymakers, practitioners, students and anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding bordered landscapes.