This is the third of four world-renowned Drawing Support books (find the other three here, here, and here) by sociologist Professor Bill Rolston, first published in 2003. Each of the books is an important and unique historical record of imagery relating to conflict and peace.
The long-awaited third volume of photographs of political wall murals looks at the period 1996 to 2003. The book covers both loyalist and republican murals - 114 in all - reproduced in full colour.
The murals reflect the period leading up to the Belfast - or Good Friday - Agreement and what the author calls ‘the frustrating politics of transition’. The themes of murals in republican areas include political prisoners, sectarian harassment, memorials around the 20th anniversary of the 1981 hunger strikes, the RUC/PSNI and British Army, plastic bullets and international solidarity.
Loyalist murals also cover memorials, as well as the peace process, mythology, loyalist military groups, territory, Ulster Scots history and culture, and royalty.
In this collection Bill Rolston includes a number of unique photographs of murals from inside the H-Blocks taken shortly before the prison’s closure.
Table of Contents
Introductory essay: Murals: a brief history; after the ceasefire, the frustrating politics of transition; the changing face of republican murals; what we have we hold - loyalist murals.
Republican murals: Peace process; sectarian harassment; prisoners; RUC and British Army; plastic bullets; memorials; hunger strike; mythology; history; international; other themes.
Loyalist murals: Peace process; heroes; military; mythology; territory; memorials; history; Ulster Scots; royalty.