Anti-Catholicism in Northern Ireland, 16001998: The Mote and the Beam [Hardcover]

Anti-Catholicism forms part of the dynamics to Northern Ireland's conflict and is critical to the self-defining identity of certain Protestants. However, anti-Catholicism is as much a sociology process as a theological dispute. It was given a Scriptural underpinning in the history of Protestant-Catholic relations in Ireland, and wider British-Irish relations, in order to reinforce social divisions between the religious communities and to offer a deterministic belief system to justify them. The book examines the socio-economic and political processes that have led to theology being used in social closure and stratification between the seventeenth century and the present day.Preface and Acknowledgements List of Figures Introduction PART I: ANTI-CATHOLICISM AS A SOCIOLOGICAL PROCESS IN IRISH HISTORY Plantation to the United Irishmen: 1600-1799 Union to Partition: 1800-1920 Northern Ireland: 1921-1997 PART II: SOCIOLOGICAL FEATURES OF CONTEMPORARY ANTI-CATHOLICISM The Modes of Contemporary Anti-Catholicism Common-sense Reasoning and Theological Misunderstandings Conclusion Postscript: A Better Way Bibliography

'It is a very impressive piece of work and I learned a lot from it.' - Rev. Professor Emeritus Finlay Holmes, former Professor of Church History, Presbyterian Training College, Belfast

'The book topic is timely and hammers home the point that religion is a key strand in the Northern Ireland conflict.' - Professor Liam O'Dowd, The Queen's University of Belfast

'Anyone interested in anti-Catholicism will find this a useful compendium of militant Protestant views of the Catholic faith.' - Journal of Contemporary Religion

'John D. Brewer's excellent study on the sociological implications of four centuries of anti-Catholicism in Ireland...In the nervous climate of Northern Ireland's new start in 1999, such research is refreshing.' - Paddy Ashdown, The Independent

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