Celebrating a Scottish past

Construction, Contestation and the Role of Government

Bibliographic Data

ID3919634
AuthorsCalum Robertson (0000-0001-6734-1182, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume50
Issue2
Pages337-346
Publication date2018-03-15
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueWorld Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0043-8243 • E-ISSN: 1470-1375
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00438243.2018.1516566
OpenAlexW2894186121
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited21

This article explores the use of the Scottish past in the production and promotion of official national celebrations in contemporary Scotland. Through the examination of the devolved Scottish Government’s role in the creation of Themed Years and related staged events, this article reveals a political and economic desire to use the country’s diasporic heritage to promote an international profile independent from the United Kingdom, and to capitalize on the lucrative global tourist market. However, the Scottish Government’s reliance on the economic value of Scotland’s diaspora heritage leads to an uncomfortable tension between this and the brand of civic nationalism the Government is eager to promote. Finally, through close examination of government-orchestrated heritage events during the Scottish independence referendum in 2014, this article reveals how specific narratives of the Scottish past were contested by heritage consumers and the rival political agenda of the United Kingdom Government

Diaspora · Government (linguistics · Heritage tourism · Media studies · Narrative · Nationalism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Referendum · Sociology · Tourism · Tourism geography · Value (mathematics · Irish and British Studies · Law · Philippine History and Culture · Public Administration · Scottish History and National Identity

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