Fluid or frozen? Choice and change in ethno-national identification in contemporary Northern Ireland

Theories of nationality pose a paradox. Given the possibilities of identity plurality and identity shift, why is ethno-national identity so deeply embedded and so prone to produce conflict? Working with in-depth interviews in Northern Ireland, this article illustrates some typical mechanisms of change in national identity. It shows that plurality of identification is compatible with deeply embedded identities, that change in such identities is possible but costly for individuals, and that change in identity content is more frequent and often more important politically than change in identity category. It shows the greater frequency and ease of change in conflict-intensifying than in conflict-ameliorating directions. Thus it explains the "stickiness" of ethno-national identity and its persistent tendency to produce conflict.