Biography
David Mitchell's research interests are in peacebuilding and reconciliation, Northern Ireland politics, and the comparative meaning of the Irish peacemaking experience. He is co/author or editor of four books, and has published numerous book chapters and articles in leading international journals.
He is Course Coordinator of the MPhil in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation, based in Belfast, and teaches on the modules Conflict and Peace in Northern Ireland, Research Skills, Contemporary Conflict and Peacemaking: Global Perspectives, and Dynamics of Reconciliation. He is, or has recently completed, co-supervising PhD research on transitional justice in Colombia (Adler Pruitt), the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund (Eugene Lee), civil society peace efforts in Korea and Ireland (Donghyuk Kwon), peacebuilding in Sudan (Megan Greeley), and young people and consociationalism in Northern Ireland (Sarah Wallace).
He is regularly consulted by the international media on developments in Northern Ireland and speaks frequently to international groups of policy makers and civil society organisations on peacemaking in Ireland. He has written or co-written op-eds in the Irish Times, Irish Independent, The Times (Ireland) and the Huffington Post, as well as several articles in The Conversation. With Dr Dong Jin Kim, he has worked on a series of academic and practitioner conferences and field visits between Ireland and Korea since 2016. From 2024, he is a member of the editorial board of the journal Irish Political Studies.
After a BA in History and Philosophy and MA in Peace and Conflict Studies, David completed a doctorate in Politics at Ulster University (Magee) where he also taught. Prior to joining Trinity, he worked on projects based at the University of Aberdeen, Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health, and Ulster University, carrying out qualitative and quantitative research among politicians, ex-combatants, religious activists, top-level and grassroots sports organisations, LGB, ethnic minority and transgender groups, and the general public.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
David Mitchell, Rescuing reconciliation: finding its role in peace research and practice, Third World Quarterly, 2023
David Mitchell, The international significance of the Northern Ireland peace process: Revisiting the lessons twenty-five years after the Good Friday Agreement , Politics, 2023
Dong Jin Kim and David Mitchell, `You realise we"re not the only ones stuck living like this": comparative learning, international partnerships, and civil society peace education in conflict-affected societies, Alternatives, 2023
Facets of the unionist experience since 1998: from the Agreement to Brexit and beyond in, editor(s)Olivier Coquelin, Brigitte Bastiat, and Frank Healy , Northern Ireland: Challenges of Peace and Reconciliation Since the Good Friday Agreement, Bern, Peter Lang, 2022, pp11 - 28, [David Mitchell]
David Mitchell, Dan Gudgeon and Dong Jin Kim, Sport and strategic peacebuilding: Northern Ireland and Korea compared, Peacebuilding, 10, (1), 2022, p37 - 50
Sport for peace: Comparing contributions and constraints in Ireland and Korea in, editor(s)Dongjin Kim, David Mitchell , Reconciling Divided States: Peace Processes in Ireland and Korea, Routledge, 2022, pp140 - 157, [David Mitchell, Dan Gudgeon]
Gladys Ganiel and David Mitchell, The Politics of Conflict and Transformation: The Island of Ireland in Comparative Perspective, Abingdon, Routledge, 2022, 1 - 170pp
Peace processes and comparative research on Ireland, Korea and beyond in, editor(s)Dong Jin Kim and David Mitchell , Reconciling Divided States: Peace Processes in Ireland and Korea, Abingdon, Routledge, 2022, pp1 - 20, [Dong Jin Kim and David Mitchell]
Peace agreements and elite-level peacemaking in Ireland and Korea: governance, security and context in, editor(s)Dong Jin Kim and David Mitchell , Reconciling Divided States: Peace Processes in Ireland and Korea, Routledge, 2022, pp80 - 97, [Dong Jin Kim and David Mitchell]
Dong Jin Kim and David Mitchell, Reconciling Divided States: Peace Processes in Ireland and Korea, Routledge, 2022, 1 - 203pp
Irish Political Studies, 36, 1, (2021), Gladys Ganiel, David Mitchell, [eds.]
David Mitchell, Ian Somerville, Owen Hargie and Victoria Simms, Can sport build peace after conflict? Public attitudes in transitional Northern Ireland, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 45, (5), 2021, p464 - 483
David Mitchell, Comparative consultation: the theory and practice of 'sharing lessons' between peace processes, Cooperation and Conflict, 56, (1), 2021, p65 - 82
David Mitchell, Learning from peace processes: theory, practice, and the case of Northern Ireland, Government and Opposition, 56, (4), 2021, p705 - 721
Political Parties in Northern Ireland and the Post-Brexit Constitutional Debate in, editor(s)Oran Doyle, Aileen McHarg, Jo Murkens , The Brexit Challenge for Ireland and the United Kingdom: Constitutions under Pressure, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2021, pp86 - 107, [David Mitchell]
Sports Promotion and the Construction of 'Irish' Identity: Nationalism, Social Exclusion and the Gaelic Athletic Association in, editor(s)Ian Somerille, Lee Edwards, Oyvind Ihlen , Public Relations, Society and the Generative Power of History, London, Routledge, 2020, [Ian Somerville, David Mitchell and Owen Hargie]
David Mitchell and Megan Miller, Reconciliation through language learning? A case study of the Turas Irish language project in East Belfast, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 42, (2), 2019, p235 - 253
From intractable conflict to global model of peacemaking: interpreting the Northern Ireland transition in, editor(s)Institute for Trans-division and Border Studies, Shinhan University. , Irish Peace Process and the Korean Peninsula, Seoul, South Korea, Ulryuk, 2019, pp106 - 136, [David Mitchell]
David Mitchell, The cycle of insecurity: reassessing the security dilemma as a conflict analysis tool, Peace and Conflict Studies, 26, (2), 2019, p1 - 25
David Mitchell, Etain Tannam, and Sarah Wallace, The Agreement's impact on political co-operation, Irish Political Studies, 2018, p283 - 310
David Mitchell, Northern Ireland's Twenty Years of Troubled Peace, Current History, 117, (797), 2018, p89 - 95
David Mitchell, Non-nationalist politics in a bi-national consociation: the case of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, 24, (3), 2018, p336 - 347
Owen Hargie, David Mitchell and Ian Somerville , 'People have a knack for making you feel excluded if they catch on to your difference: transgender experiences of exclusion in sport'. , International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 52, (2), 2017, p223 - 239
David Mitchell, Ian Somerville and Owen Hargie, Sport for Peace in Northern Ireland? Civil Society, Change and Constraint after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 18, (4), 2016, p981 - 996
John Brewer, David Mitchell, Gerard Leavey, Northern Ireland: Religion and Transitional Justice, Conflict Studies Quarterly, 14, 2016, p74 - 91
David Mitchell, Politics and Peace in Northern Ireland: Political Parties and the Implementation of the 1998 Agreement. Manchester: Manchester University Press., Manchester, Manchester University Press, 2015
John Brewer, David Mitchell, Gerard Leavey, Ex-combatants, Religion and Peace in Northern Ireland: The Role of Religion in Transitional Justice , Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan , 2013
David Mitchell, Sticking to their guns? The politics of arms decommissioning in Northern Ireland, 1998-2007, Contemporary British History , 24, (3), 2010, p341 - 361
David Mitchell, Cooking the fudge: constructive ambiguity and the implementation of the Northern Ireland Agreement, 1998-2007, Irish Political Studies, 24, (3), 2009, p321 - 336
Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications
David Mitchell, Explaining peace in Northern Ireland: lessons for other conflicts?, Peace Dream Forum, Seoul, South Korea/online, 20 October, 2023
David Mitchell, Opportunities and challenges for peace studies in Ireland, Irish School of Ecumenics at Fifty webinar, online, 30 March, 2023
David Mitchell, Review of 'Union with David Olusoga', BBC series, 2023, -
David Mitchell and Dong Jin Kim, `You realise we"re not the only ones stuck living like this": comparative learning, international partnerships, and civil society peace education in conflict-affected societies, Political Studies Association of Ireland Conference 2023, Europa Hotel, Belfast, 22 October, 2023
David Mitchell, Making sense of international lessons of the Good Friday Agreement 25 years on, Third World Quarterly, 2023, -
David Mitchell, Irish language, conflict, and reconciliation in post-Agreement Northern Ireland, From Homer to Hate Speech: A Humanities View on Language and Conflict, Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin, 6 October, 2023, School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultural Studies
David Mitchell, Implications of the Northern Ireland peace process for the Korean peninsula, Emerging Leader Fellowship, Online Unification Academy, Seoul, South Korea/online, 19 May, 2022, Ministry of Unification, South Korea
DAVID MITCHELL, The impact of Brexit on the politics and future of the United Kingdom, Fifth International Conference on the April 19th Revolution, Seoul, South Korea/online, 15 April, 2022, Hanshin University, Seoul
Dong Jin Kim and David Mitchell, Learning from Elsewhere: Using Comparison Peace/Conflict Cases as a Peace Education Tool, Conflict Research Society Conference, Belfast, 9 September, 2022
David Mitchell, Hope and History: Explaining the Peace Process in Northern Ireland, Conversations on Hope, Richmond Barracks, Dublin, 6 December, 2022, Atlantic Fellows/Global Brain Health Institute
DAVID MITCHELL, 'Putin is Hitler': why we use analogies to talk about the Ukraine war, and how they can lead to peace, 2022, -
David Mitchell, From Queen Elizabeth to King Charles: how Northern Ireland"s unionists feel about the monarchy, 2022, -
David Mitchell, Sport and Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland, Sport, Politics, Development, and Peace Seminars , Bradford/online, 28 November, 2022, Kent State University, University of Bradford
David Mitchell, Dialogue Between Peace Processes, Intergenerational Dialogue on Peacebuilding Between Southern African and Irish Youth, Online, 13 December, 2022, African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)/ Embassy of Ireland, Pretoria
David Mitchell, The 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election and what it means for the peace process , KINU public seminar, Seoul, South Korea/online, 31 May, 2022, Korean Institute for National Unification
DAVID MITCHELL, North-South Co-operation and the Transformation of the Border on the Island of Ireland, Cross Border Cooperation in Korean Peninsula: Localizing North-South Korean Cooperation., Seoul, South Korea/online, 17 February, 2022, Shinhan University, Seoul
DAVID MITCHELL, Comparing the peace processes in Ireland and Korea, Emerging Leader Fellowship, Online Unification Academy, Online from Seoul, South Korea, 15 June , 2021, Ministry of Unification, South Korea
Gladys Ganiel and David Mitchell, Introduction, The politics of conflict and transformation: the island of Ireland in comparative perspective, Irish Political Studies, 36, (1), 2021, p1 - 6
DAVID MITCHELL, The Northern Ireland Peace Process, The Peace Process in Northern Ireland and Its Implications for the Korean Peninsula, , Seoul, South Korea/online, 10 November, 2021, Korean Institute for National Unification
David Mitchell, The role of sport in the Northern Ireland peace process, PyeongChang Peace Forum 2021, PyeongChang, South Korea (video presentation), 8 February, 2021, PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Foundation
DAVID MITCHELL, The dynamics of the peace process in Northern Ireland, Peaceful Unification Advisory Council event, Dublin, 12 November, 2021, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Ireland
DAVID MITCHELL, Lessons of the Northern Ireland peace process, Ireland - Island of Peace, Dublin/online, 1 July, 2021, Irish School of Ecumenics
David Mitchell, Northern Ireland: The politics behind the riots, 2021, -
DAVID MITCHELL, Understanding the peace process in Northern Ireland, Towards Sustainable Policies for Inter-Korean Relations, Seoul/South Korea/online, 25 November, 2021, Shinhan University, Seoul
David Mitchell, Comparing peace processes in Ireland and Korea, Korea Peace Forum, London/online, 28 November, 2020, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the UK
David Mitchell, Northern Ireland after coronavirus: three scenarios for politics and peace, 2020, -
David Mitchell, How to learn from a peace process: scholarly and practitioner approaches to sharing the Northern Ireland experience of peacemaking, Political Studies Association of Ireland annual conference, Maynooth, Ireland, 19 October, 2019
David Mitchell, Review of Verwoerd: My Journey Through Family Betrayals, by Wilhelm Verwoerd , Journal of Peace Research, 2019
David Mitchell, Sharing learning between peace processes: Ireland, Korea and 'comparative contact', Conflict Research Society annual conference, Brighton, UK, 9-10 September , 2019
David Mitchell, Comparative peace studies and the cases of Ireland and Korea, Creating an international network for peace studies and research, University of Leiden, The Hague, Netherlands, 13 September, 2019
David Mitchell, The risks and rewards of putting peace to the public, Review of Making Peace with Referendums: Cyprus and Northern Ireland, by Joana Amaral , European Political Science , 2019, p1-2
David Mitchell, Unionism since 1998: five arguments, Les Accords de Vendredi Saint, 20 Ans Après, University of Caen, France [presentation via video link], 29 March, 2019, University of Caen
David Mitchell, An anti-Brexit party just made an extraordinary breakthrough in Northern Ireland, 2019, -
David Mitchell, How to learn from a peace process: an analysis of comparative contact, Comparative Perspectives on the Korean Peace Process: From Ireland and Beyond, Trinity College Dublin, 1 February 2019, 2019
David Mitchell, The value of comparative peace research , Building a Transnational Network of Scholars and Practitioners for a Comparative Study of Peace Processes in Northern Ireland, Former Yugoslavia and the Korean Peninsula, Leiden University, The Hague, Netherlands, 4 February 2019, 2019
David Mitchell, Brexit And May's Embattled Government Leave The Good Friday Agreement Hanging In The Balance, Huffington Post, 2018, -
David Mitchell, 'Irish language is still the tie that binds us all', The Times (Ireland edition), 2018, -
David Mitchell, 'DUP's red lines are based on a self-destructive Britishness many unionists don't share', The Conversation, 2018, -
David Mitchell, Five reasons to be optimistic about Northern Ireland politics, The Conversation, 2018, -
David Mitchell, 'A force for good can rise from ashes of Belfast blaze', The Times (Ireland edition), 2018, -
David Mitchell and Dongjin Kim, 'Ireland can teach Korea about peace', The Times (Ireland edition), 2018, -
David Mitchell, 'Four things that should happen before Irish unity', The Conversation, 2018, -
David Mitchell and Megan Miller, Reconciliation through language-learning? Lessons from the Turas Irish language project in East Belfast, Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI) annual conference, Dublin City University, 14 October 2017, 2017
David Mitchell, Learning the (Irish) language of reconciliation in Protestant East Belfast, Discover Society, 2017, -
David Mitchell, The value of sharing experiences of peacemaking, The Colombian Peace Process: Opportunities and Challenges, Trinity College Dublin, 22 September 2017, 2017
David Mitchell and Dong Jin Kim, Divided Korea can learn from North's peace process, Irish Times, 2017, -
David Mitchell, The "other" party: the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland and the politics of power-sharing after 1998, Exclusion Amid Inclusion , Queen's University Belfast, 10 November 2017, 2017
David Mitchell, Ian Somerville, Owen Hargie, Sport and politics are (slowly) parting ways in Northern Ireland, LSE Politics , 2016, -
David Mitchell, Ian Somerville, Owen Hargie, Summer focus on football scores goal for peace in NI, Irish Times, 2016, -
David Mitchell, Ian Somerville, Owen Hargie and Victoria Simms, Sport for reconciliation? Public attitudes to sport as a peacebuilding tool in Northern Ireland', Conflict Research Society annual conference, Trinity College Dublin, 2016
David Mitchell, From intractable conflict to global model of peacemaking: interpreting the Northern Ireland transition, Borderlands for Peaceful Co-existence in Korea and Beyond, Seoul, South Korea, 11 November 2016, 2016
David Mitchell, Good Friday and the wait for a new politics in Northern Ireland, Open Democracy, 2015, -
David Mitchell, Reconciliation in Northern Ireland, Pulling together or pulling apart? Identity nationhood - Spain, Europe, the West, Trinity College Dublin, 25 June 2015, 2015
David Mitchell, Ian Somerville and Owen Hargie, Sport for peace in Northern Ireland?: a quantitative study of public attitudes to sport, sectarianism and inclusion, Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI) annual conference, University College Cork, 2015
Ian Somerville, David Mitchell and Owen Hargie, Sport and social exclusion: experiences of transgender people in Northern Ireland, 6th International Conference on Sport and Society, University of Toronto, Canada, 30 July 2015, 2015
Owen Hargie, Ian Somerville and David Mitchell , Social Exclusion and Sport in Northern Ireland: A Report on Research Funded by the Office of the First and Deputy First Ministers, Belfast, Ulster University , 2015
David Mitchell, Ian Somerville and Owen Hargie, Social Exclusion and Sport in Northern Ireland: A Report on Research Funded by the Office of the First and Deputy First Ministers, Presentation of findings at public/media launch of Social Exclusion and Sport in Northern Ireland research report, 2 December 2015, 2015
Mitchell, David, Owen Hargie and Ian Somerville , Sport, sectarianism and social exclusion in Northern Ireland, Political Studies Association (PSA) annual conference, Sheffield, UK, 1 April 2015, 2015
Ian Somerville, David Mitchell and Owen Hargie, Cross-community engagement, social inclusion and sport in Northern Ireland's post conflict society, International Communication Association pre-conference, Seattle, 22 May 2014, 2014
David Mitchell, Ian Somerville and Owen Hargie, Sport and sectarianism in post-Troubles Northern Ireland: a qualitative study of public attitudes, Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI) annual conference, Trinity College Dublin, 18 October 2013, 2013
John Brewer, David Mitchell, Gerard Leavey, Ex-combatants, religion and identity in Northern Ireland, Political Studies Association (PSA) annual conference, Belfast, 5 April 2012, 2012
David Mitchell, Security dilemma theory and the implementation of the 1998 Agreement in Northern Ireland, Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI) annual conference, Ulster University, Derry/Londonderry, 20 October 2012, 2012
John Brewer, David Mitchell, Gerard Leavey, Methodological Issues in Researching Ex-Combatants in Northern Ireland, Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI) annual conference, University College Dublin, 22 October 2011, 2011
David Mitchell, Conditions for peace in Northern Ireland and Israel-Palestine, Peace Review, 22, (3), 2010, p280 - 287
David Mitchell, Conditions for Peace: exploring the debate on Northern Ireland's lessons for the inclusion of 'extremes' in peace processes, Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI) Specialist Group on Peace and Conflict conference, Trinity College Dublin, 22 May 2009, 2009
David Mitchell, Room for accommodation: incentives, sanctions, and conditionality in Northern Ireland, Accord: An International Review of Peace Initiatives, 2008, -
David Mitchell, Constructive Ambiguity and Party Implementation Strategies in Northern Ireland, 1998-2007, Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI) annual conference, NUI Galway, 17 October 2008, 2008