Abandoning ‘a Lifetime of Habits’ to Avoid the ‘Sins of the Past’

Abstract

While many studies have identified the problem of reproducing small institutions in community settings, few have explored why. This article explores how staff preserve and defend institutionalised beliefs and practices in community settings. We apply the concepts of disruptive and defensive institutional work to analyse the findings of qualitative interviews at six Irish residential institutions that were identified as priority sites for a national de-congregation programme. Reflecting on their roles, staff conceptualised their practices as historical, traditional, and reflective of a bygone era. However, the findings indicate that it would be misleading to represent institutional practices as relics of the past. The programme offered an olive branch for staff members who wanted to distance themselves from a ‘lifetime of habits’ and ‘sins of the past’.