Parity of Esteem as a Constitutional Principle in Northern Ireland and Beyond

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The principle of parity of esteem is a key component of the Good Friday (or Belfast) Agreement. Taken seriously as a constitutional principle, it requires the State to do something unusual: to grant equal moral value to both the desire to stay within the state, and the desire to leave the state. This is a singular idea, and it has importance for other plurinational constitutional settlements. While this concept was developed in the 1990s, it has barely been explored since.

This pathbreaking conference will bring together scholars from the UK, Ireland, and other plurinational jurisdictions to discuss the concept of parity of esteem as a legal and constitutional principle. It will explore nationality, multiculturalism, migration, citizenship, and secession, beginning in Northern Ireland, but also embracing jurisdictions such as India, Spain, and Switzerland to advance the field of plurinational constitutionalism.

Conference convenors

• Dr Tom Flynn, University of Essex
• Anurag Deb, Queen’s University Belfast
• Professor Katy Hayward, Queen’s University Belfast
• Dr Ewan Smith, UCL

Speakers

• Dr Sarah Craig, Ulster University
• Anurag Deb, Queen’s University Belfast
• Dr Mikel Diez Sarasola, Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
• Dr Tom Flynn, University of Essex
• Professor Colin Harvey, Queen’s University Belfast
• Professor Katy Hayward, Queen’s University Belfast
• Professor Colin Murray, Newcastle University
• Professor Colm O’Cinneide, UCL
• Professor Devyani Prabhat, University of Bristol
• Dr Lea Raible, University of Glasgow
• Dr Jane Rooney, Durham University
• Dr Ewan Smith, UCL

Further information

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