Mentor Post #7

I visited with Professor Carolyn Gallaher on Mar. 6, as she is one of the experts in SIS on Northern Ireland- in fact she’s leading a three week class in May on conflict transformation, half of which will actually be in Belfast. I’m applying for the class because I think it’s a wonderful way to get more involved and continue my research with personal experience even after I’ve turned in my final paper. Professor Gallaher and I also talked about my cases, or the agreements I’m focusing on. She suggested I look into the St. Andrews agreement as well, because the more cases I add to my project the higher external validity it has. The St. Andrews agreement was the renegotiation of the Good Friday agreement when it fell apart in the early 2000s, We also talked a little about the Anglo-Irish agreement in the 1980s, but she felt that the St. Andrews agreement might be more relevant because the Anglo-Irish agreement primarily focused on British/Irish relations rather than the issues in Northern Ireland. Finally, Professor Gallaher suggested that I look at more than just women’s inclusion in formal negotiations, because women typically have more of an effect through external, grassroots pressure on peace processes. It was a very productive meeting and I feel a lot clearer about my case selection, which will make it easier going forward in the next couple of weeks as I actually do the research.