Direct, Structural and Cultural Violence in a ‘Post-conflict’ Society: Lived Experiences of ‘At Risk’ and Incarcerated Young Men

Studies of violence among young men often focus on individual acts of direct violence, without reference to structural and cultural dimensions. To address these omissions, interviews with 46 ‘at risk’ or incarcerated young men (aged 18–24) and 25 professional support or prison staff in ‘post-conflict’ Northern Ireland, all recruited through purposive sampling, were analyzed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis. Galtung’s violence triangle was applied during the interpretive stage of analysis to contextualize and theorize emergent themes, demonstrating how direct, structural, and cultural forms of violence intersect and mutually reinforce one another across four interrelated domains that shape marginalized young men’s identities and lived experiences. Structural exclusion creates systemic barriers that prevent young men from fully engaging in social, economic, and political spheres, perpetuating cycles of marginalization and alienation. Legacies of violent conflict transmit psychological and social trauma across generations, normalizing violence and fostering pervasive mistrust in communities. Through paramilitary recruitment, non-state armed groups make use of deprivation, territorial control, and perceived cultural legitimacy to sustain their allure and ongoing presence. Paramilitary-style attacks employ overt and direct violence, using ‘community punishment’ and vigilantism to maintain social regulation, dominance and fear.