Abstract:
This thesis deals with the EU PEACE Programme in Northern Ireland and its border region. By using a perspective that emphasizes on identity, it creates an overall image of the relationship between identity and the programme in the centre of Northern Ireland and in the Northern Irish border region. It explores whether the PEACE Programme enforces or weakens the traditional dichotomy between Irish/Catholic/nationalist and British/protestant/unionist communities. The findings of this research suggest that the impact of the PEACE Programme on identities is similar in the central area of Northern Ireland and its border region. However, the data did point towards a discrepancy in the different levels of governance within the programme. It suggests that the grassroots level projects have a different view on identity than higher levels of governance in the PEACE Programme.
