Marching Backward? Conservative Civil Society, Freedom of Religion and the Peace Process in Northern Ireland

This paper examines the role of the Orange Order, a prominent Protestant civil society organization, throughout the period following the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement (GFA) in Northern Ireland. By linking the defense of civil and religious liberties to the preservation of the Union with the United Kingdom, the Orange Order plays both an important religious and political role which has embroiled it in a number of disputes. This paper discusses the Order’s parades across Catholic neighborhoods, its involvement in the so-called “culture wars” and its stand vis-à-vis Brexit. Overall, the actions of the Orange Order are a sober reminder of the diversity of civil society in conflict areas, where civic and progressive groups co-exist with associations with conservative religious and political values. The Orange Order’s actions demonstrate the controversial role religious freedom may play in the context of peace processes.