Marie Breen Smyth
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Marie Breen Smyth (born 26th January 1953) is an academic author, teacher and researcher originally from Northern Ireland. She has published on topics such as the Northern Ireland conflict, particularly the human impact, trauma, victim politics, children and armed conflict, research ethics and methods, religion and conflict, and various issues to do with political violence in Southern Africa, Israel/ Palestine and Northern Ireland.
She was previously known as Marie Smyth but adopted the surname of her husband (Alan Johnston Breen) after his death on 7th July, 2005.
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[edit] CAREER
She is currently Reader in International Politics and Director of the Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Contemporary Political Violence at Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK.[1]
Prior to joining the staff at Aberystwyth, she was Head of Research and Communication for Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland, [2][not in citation given] an independent statutory inspectorate, which was set up under the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 following the Good Friday/ Belfast Agreement.
She has taught at Smith College, Massachusetts, USA [3][not in citation given] and Elms College, Chicopee, Massachusetts [4][not in citation given].
She was the founder of The Cost of the Troubles Study, [5][not in citation given] a five year participative action research project which she established with those bereaved and injured from all sides of the Northern Ireland conflict.
The Cost of the Troubles Study eventually became the Institute for Conflict Research [6][not in citation given] a Belfast-based international research institute, which Breen Smyth ran until 2002.
She was Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow [7] at the United States Institute of Peace [8] in Washington DC in 2002-2003
[edit] CONTEMPORARY DEBATES
In March 2005, Breen-Smyth, (then Smyth) gave evidence to the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee Inquiry into Dealing with Northern Ireland's past. Her evidence was based on her work with victims, through the Cost of the Troubles Study [9] (Q780 forward).
On 13 February 2007, The Guardian published an article 'The abuse of research' [10] by Breen Smyth and Jeroen Gunning in which they argue that the sources of funding and the political agendas of think tanks should be taken into account when interpreting their findings, and may mean that their reports need to be treated with care. The article argues that the politicisation of research can lead to serious distortions in the understanding of policy issues.
In April 2008, Breen-Smyth was the subject of an attack by right wing journalist Melanie Phillips [[11]] who based her attack on the unsubstantiated accusations of an anonymous student who took one of Breen-Smyth's courses at Aberystwyth. Phillips wrote to the Vice Chancellor of Aberystwyth complaining that Breen Smyth was a 'subversive' and shouldn't be allowed to teach. However, Breen Smyth was suppported by the university, and attracted support from other students at Aberystwyth who had taken the course, and who posted their comments on Phillips' blog [12].
Breen-Smyth was also tipped to become Victims Commissioner for Northern Ireland in 2007, [13] but the appointment process dragged on after Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness were appointed First and Deputy First Minister, leading to widespread speculation that Paisley and McGuinness could not agree on an appointment. The Northern Ireland Assembly expressed disquiet at the delays in making the appointment [14] which was eventually made in January 2008 [15]. The appointment of four commissioners instead of one required new legislation, which Paisley and McGuinness promised to fast-track through the Assembly [16]. However, the Assembly had other ideas, and legislation was delayed by debates about the need for a Chief Commissioner, in addition to the four Commissioners. Shortly after their appointment, a consortium of victims groups led by Michelle Williamson issued a legal challenge to the appointments in the form of a judicial review [17]. This review is currently at hearing. Astonishingly, Paisley and McGuinness claimed that they had kept no records of their discussions about the appointments [18]. Breen-Smyth has also issued a legal challenge to the Paisley- McGuinness decision, which will be heard later in 2008.
[edit] VOLUNTARY INVOLVEMENTS
Breen Smyth is currently involved in Healing Through Remembering [19] a project established to consider how Northern Ireland might deal with its past, which involves people from all sides of the conflict. Her latest book Truth Recovery and Justice After Conflict: Managing Violent Pasts. (Abingdon: Routledge) [20] deals with the subject of truth recovery.
In the 1980s, Breen Smyth co-founded of Derry Wellwoman, [21] a free health and support service for women based in the North West of Ireland.
[edit] PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS
Breen Smyth was a non-executive Director of the Northern Health and Social Services Board [22][not in citation given] in Ballymena, Northern Ireland until her appointment to Aberystwyth. She also acted as a Convenor for Complaints for the Board.
Breen Smyth chaired the Research Ethics Committee No 1 for Northern Ireland [23][not in citation given] until her appointment at Aberystwyth.
She sat on THE BRITISH COUNCIL Advisory Committee for Northern Ireland from 1999 to 2005
[edit] PUBLISHING
With Richard Jackson, Jeroen Gunning (both at Aberystwyth), Piers Robinson (Manchester University) and George Kassimeris (Wolverhampton University) Breen Smyth currently edits the Routledge journal Critical Studies on Terrorism [24]. This team, including Breen Smyth, have argued for the establishment of a new critical turn in terrorism studies, and the development of critical terrorism studies.
Her books include:
(2007) Truth and justice after violent conflict: managing violent pasts. Abingdon: Routledge.
(2002) Northern Ireland After the Good Friday Agreement: Victims, Grievance and Blame. London: Pluto (with Mike Morrissey) ISBN 0-7453-1673-5 (247pp)
(2000). Personal Accounts of Northern Ireland’s Troubles: Public Chaos, Private Loss. London: Pluto, (with Marie-Therese Fay) ISBN 0-7453-1618-2 (150pp)
(1999) Northern Ireland’s Troubles: The Human Costs. London: Pluto. (with Marie-Therese Fay and Mike Morrissey) 0-7453137-4-4 (229pp)
(1998) Half the Battle: Understanding the Impact of the Troubles on Children and Young People. Derry Londonderry, INCORE / the United Nations University and the University of Ulster. ISBN 0-9533305 2 4. 174pp.
(1996) Hemmed In and Hacking it: Life in Two Enclaves. Derry: Guildhall Press. ISBN 0-946451-33-8
Her edited books include:
(2005) Researching Conflict in Africa: Insights and Experiences Tokyo: United Nations University Press. (with Gillian Robinson, Eghosa Osage, Albrecht, Schnabel and Lis Porter) (eds)
(2004) Researchers and their ‘subjects:’ ethics, power, knowledge and consent. Bristol: Policy Press. (ed with Emma Williamson) ISBN 1-86134-514-3 (227pp)
(2001) Researching Violently Divide Societies: Ethical and Methodological Issues. Tokyo: United Nations University Press. (with Gillian Robinson) (eds) ISBN 0-7453-1820-7 (227pp)
(2000) Working With Children and Young People in Violently Divided Societies: Papers from South Africa and Northern Ireland. Derry Londonderry, INCORE / the United Nations University and the University of Ulster. 2001. (with Kirsten Thomson) (eds) ISBN 0-9533-3058-3 (246pp)
Her other outputs include:
Public Exhibitions (1998) Do You Know What’s Happened? Personal Accounts and Images of the Troubles. (Output of the Cost of the Troubles Study) Opened November, 1998 by Secretary of State for NI, Dr Marjorie Mowlam, The Great Hall, Belfast City Hall; toured venues, including House of Commons, Westminster, Glasgow, Dublin.
(1998) Do You See What I See? Young People’s Experience of the Troubles in their own words and photographs. (Output of research on children and political violence) Opened May, 1998, by Assistant Secretary of State for NI, Adam Ingram in University of Ulster School of Art and Design, York Street, touring various venues in Northern Ireland, England and the Irish Republic.
(1996) Hemmed In and Hacking It: Words and Images from Two Enclave Areas; (Output of the Templegrove Action Research Project on sectarian division in Derry/Londonderry) opened in Derry Central Library. Toured venues in the North West: archived in Derry Central Library.
Film and Video (2000) And Then There Was Silence… feature documentary/training video with accompanying training notes. 90 minutes. The Cost of the Troubles Study/Northern Visions.
(1999) Do You See What I See? Young People’s Experience of the Troubles. The Cost of the Troubles Study /Ulster Television/ Save the Children.
