Bill McSweeney
Research Fellow
Email: bmcswney@tcd.ie
Areas of expertise
Theories of International Relations, International Security, Religion and US foreign policy, US foreign policy after the Cold War, Religion and Politics
Education
1968-71 BA (Sociology), University of Essex
1971-72 BPhil (Sociology), University of York
1991-97 PhD, Trinity College Dublin
Teaching and research interests
International Politics, IR Theory, International Security, Evangelicalism in US Politics, American Exceptionalism
Academic Positions
1972-1980 Lecturer in Sociology in Department of Sociology, University of York
1973 & 1977 Visiting Professor of Sociology at Kingston University, Ontario, Canada
1980-1988 Lecturer in Peace Studies, Irish School of Ecumenics, Dublin
1988-2000 Senior Lecturer & Head of Department of Peace Studies, Irish School of Ecumenics,
Dublin
2001-2005 Honorary Research Fellow, Department of International Politics, University of
Wales, Aberystwyth
2000- Research Fellow in International Peace Studies, Irish School of Ecumenics, TCD
Publications
BOOKS authored
1999 Security Identity & Interests: A Sociology of International Relations, Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge
1980 Roman Catholicism: The Search for Relevance, Blackwells, Oxford
BOOKS edited
1985 Ireland and the Threat of Nuclear War, Dominican Publications, Dublin
1998 Moral Issues in International Affairs: Issues of European Integration, Macmillan,
London
Papers in Professional Journals
1973 'Meaning, Context and Situation',in European Journal of Sociology vol.14 no.1
1973 'The Threat of Sociology' in Social Studies: Irish Journal of Sociology vol.1 no.6
1974 'The Priesthood in Sociological Theory' in Social Compass vol.21 no.1
1987 'Northern Ireland: A War of Religion?' in Conflict, vol.7 no.3
1987 'Catholic Piety in the Nineteenth Century' in Social Compass: International Journal of Sociology of Religion vol.34 no.2/3
1987 'The Politics of Neutrality: A New Focus on Security for Smaller Nations' in Bulletin of Peace Proposals vol.18 no.1
1988 'The European Neutrals and the European Community' in Journal of Peace Research, vol.25 no.3
1996 'Security & identity: Buzan & the Copenhagen School' in Review of International Studies,
22/1
1996 'Security & identity in the Northern Ireland Peace Process' in Security Dialogue, 27/2
1997 'Security & identity in the Northern Ireland peace process' (1996) revised and reprinted in
Simon Bekker & David Carlton (eds), Racism, Xenophobia & Ethnic Conflicts, University of Natal Press, Natal, 1997.
1998 'Durkheim & the Copenhagen school: a response to Buzan & Waever' in Review of
International Studies, 24/1
--- ‘Intereses y Identidad en el Proceso de Paz de Irlanda del Norte’ in Papeles de Cuestiones
Internacionales, no 64, 1998
--- ‘The Construction of the Belfast Agreement’, in Security Dialogue, no.3, 1998
--- ‘Identity, Interests and the Good Friday Agreement’, Irish Studies in International Affairs,
vol. 9
2002 'After September 11th? A Reflection on Irish Neutrality', Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review
vol. 91: 144-51
Articles in Books and Other Papers
1976 'The End of Heresy' in The Canadian Forum vol.56 August
1981 'The Ethics of Nuclear Deterrence' in Doctrine & Life vol.31
1984 'Dilemmas of Irish Neutrality' in Arms and Disarmament Information Bulletin vol.6 no.5
1985 'A New Politics in East-West Dialogue' in END Journal, January
1985 'Morality and Foreign Policy' in Dermot Keogh ed: Central America: Human Rights & US Foreign Policy, Cork University Press, Cork
1986 'Out of the Ghetto: Irish Foreign Policy Since the Fifties' in Studies, Winter
1987 'En Ny Roll For Europas Neutrala Stater' in Neutralitet For Fred, Fredsarsdelegationens Skriftserie, Stockholm
1987 'The Question of Neutrality: Some Theological Considerations' in Doctrine & Life vol.37
1987 'The Task for Neutrals' in An Cosantoir: Irish Defence Journal vol.47 no.2
1988 'Irish Defence in the Context of Irish Foreign Policy' in Studies, Spring
1988 'Peace Theology in Budapest' in Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe vol.8 no.3
1989 'Constructive Ambiguity: Options for Neutrals in the 1990s' in Paul Rodgers & Michael Randle eds: Alternatives in European Security, Gower, London
1989 'Religion & the Conflict in Northern Ireland' in Paul Badham ed: Religion, Church and Society, Macmillan, London
1990 'Ireland and European Integration' in Studies, vol 79 no314
1990 'Die europaischen Neutralen und die EG' in J Iraschko & A Truger eds: Die EG und Neutralitat: Osterreich & die Westuropaische Herausforderung, Junius Verlags, Vienna
1999 ‘The Moral Basis of Peace Research’ in International Studies Association Peace Studies Newsletter
1999 ‘Some reflections on Irish neutrality: A response to Alyson Bailes’ in P.Keatinge & J. Donoghue (eds), The Security of Europe: Actors and Issues, Institute of European Affairs, Dublin
2002 ‘International Relations as Poetry’, in Ben Tonra & Eilis Ward eds, Ireland in International Affairs - Interests, Institutions and Identities: Essays in Honour of Professor N P Keatinge, Institute of Public Administration, Dublin
Translations
1968 (from Italian) Helder Camara: The Church and Colonialism, Sheed and Ward, London
1969 (from French) The Unity Book of Prayers, Geoffrey Chapman, London