The ‘new Northern Ireland’ packaged and projected by Titanic Quarter is nonetheless out of step with social reality in Belfast. Titanic Quarter is supposed to alter international perceptions of Northern Ireland and shift domestic allegiances following the late twentieth-century Troubles. The aggressive rebranding of this post-conflict, post-industrial city has strong political and economic dimensions. 1) For many visitors Titanic Quarter is synonymous with Belfast. Stainless steel and glass – the identikit symbols of civic modernity – dominate the urban landscape. Titanic Quarter looks like a typical waterfront redevelopment project. Titanic Quarter is situated on former shipbuilding land on the eastern banks of Belfast’s River Lagan, birthplace to hundreds of ships including the ill-fated Titanic. Ultimately, the article questions whether attempts to create neutral ‘heritage memory’ tackles underlying divisions in post-conflict Northern Ireland.
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Lived social experiences have been largely ignored in heritage interpretations at Titanic Quarter in favour of non-contentious narratives serving the aims of state and corporate actors. The connected processes of deindustrialization, regeneration and industrial heritage are unpacked to better understand the cultural erasure and economic marginalization that can afflict displaced workers and communities. East Belfast oral histories complement recently released state papers to analyze the intentions (and perceptions) of Titanic-themed urban transformation. This article examines ongoing regeneration efforts alongside the rundown of Harland & Wolff shipyard, which formerly occupied the Titanic Quarter site, and the delicate politics of Northern Ireland peacebuilding. Titanic Quarter has emerged as Belfast’s premier tourist destination in recent years.