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This book covers recent aspects of Scottish politics, Scottish society and
Scottish life. Underpinned by current and ongoing research, it examines
contemporary Scotland through a sociopolitical lens, considering the nature and
foundations of Scotland today.
Despite the significant and ongoing attention
paid to Scotland, and the national and international interest in numerous
aspects of Scottish society and politics, there are very few up-to-date works to
which readers can refer. Yet, at a time when the country’s constitutional future
has engaged the world, and when interest in Scotland and Scottish issues has
been significantly heightened internationally, books that provide insight into
Scotland remain limited. This book fills a significant gap by delivering just
such insights.
The book includes chapters on Scottish identity, politics,
education, employment, gender, ethnicity, class, art, heritage, culture and
sport, as well as looking at Scottish culture in Scotland and elsewhere in the
UK and overseas. Each chapter draws on contemporary research and identifies key
reading, which enables readers to further explore topics in-depth.
This book
will be of interest to a wide variety of readers; from university students,
researchers and academics, to policymakers and members of the general public,
both within and beyond Scotland. It will inform and update people’s
understanding of modern-day Scotland and allow for a greater insight and
understanding of why and how Scotland has come to be a topic of discussion for
itself and others.
Both main authors have wide experience of researching and
publishing on a range of Scottish issues and their work underpins this
discussion.
Scottish identity is closely linked to the development of a Scottish culture. There is a body of literature that has explored aspects of art, culture and literature and its distinctiveness from other British culture. This chapter explores art and culture, the role it plays in Scottish life and its role in maintaining a distinctive Scottish identity within Scotland.
This chapter looks at the importance of heritage within Scotland and the development of the country’s tourist industry. There is a significant literature on tourism, its relationship to national identity and to the way in which Scotland ‘sells itself’. The chapter therefore relates back to earlier chapters. In many respects, Scotland has led in certain tourist developments such as genealogical research and ‘roots’ tourism and we explore and explain this.
In the same way that many English people have migrated to Scotland, many Scots have followed the road south. There are substantial Scots communities in England and this chapter explores their ongoing relationship with Scotland. This relationship was brought into focus in 2014 as Scots living outside Scotland but in the rest of the UK could not vote in the independence referendum. We also look at the attitudes towards Scotland held within England and if there are strains in the relationships between these two nations in particular.
Sport plays an important role within Scottish life, not least as a focus of national identity. Although Scotland is not an independent state, it has its own international football, rugby and cricket teams and competes independently at the Commonwealth Games. Scotland has played a significant part in the development of sport, particularly within football and in golf, with the world headquarters of golf being at St Andrews. This chapter explores the role that sport plays within Scottish life and in helping to sustain a separate and distinct sense of Scottish identity.
We finish with a conclusion in which we seek to bring together various aspects of Scottish politics and society and perhaps indulge in some tightly focused crystal-ball gazing, in terms of the future direction of the country. After two referendums, on Scottish independence and on EU membership, it is clear that the constitutional future of Scotland is a matter of ongoing debate. We reflect on this and on the wider implications for Scottish society and identity.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the Scottish diaspora. In part, this reflects an increased focus by academics on aspects of international migration and diasporas; Scotland, with a substantial diaspora in most parts of the world, has therefore been a subject for study by a number of historians and sociologists. While we have touched on the diasporic element in other aspects of the book, a clear and focused analysis is presented here. There has been a political interest in the diaspora, with the Scottish Government developing a diaspora strategy, not least in order to encourage ‘roots tourism’, as those individuals of Scots descent come back to visit their ‘homeland’. We explore the ongoing relationship between Scotland and its diaspora, for example in the context of the 2014 Year of Homecoming, and how Scotland seeks to engage with the diaspora, politically and socially.
We use this chapter to explore the Scottish education system and its strengths and weaknesses. We also explore the current employment situation within Scotland and, using census and other data, describe the changing nature of employment as the country has increasingly moved from being dominated by heavy industry to being increasingly characterised by science, technology and businesses associated with the so-called ‘Silicon Glen’.
The census has demonstrated that Scotland is increasingly a multicultural society and the proportion of black and minority ethnic (BME) people in Scotland has doubled to 4 per cent between 2001 and 2011. In Glasgow it is 12 per cent. This chapter looks at the ‘ethnic’ make up of Scottish society and discusses the experiences of minority groups, refugees and asylum seekers and migrant workers. The chapter will make reference also to white migrants within Scotland, for example from Europe, Ireland and the rest of the UK.
We move on to discuss more specific aspects of Scottish identity, using ideas such as those of Benedict Anderson, Michael Billig, Tom Nairn and Anthony Smith. We look at how the Scottish nation can be and is defined and, using data from the census and social attitudes surveys, how individuals within that nation define themselves. Are Scots increasingly Scottish, still British or simply ‘not English’? We assess the various layers of identity that exist, the extent to which a Scottish identity is growing at the expense of a British one and the longer-term implications of this. The existing social data is complemented by our recent studies of Scots throughout Scotland, and the contemporary Scottish diaspora itself.