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  3. Tartan nation? : strategic appropriation and avoidance of symbols of national identity by Scottish independence movement organizations
Title

Tartan nation? : strategic appropriation and avoidance of symbols of national identity by Scottish independence movement organizations

    Item Description
    Limited Access
    The author(s) chose to restrict access to this thesis to current Whitman students, faculty, and staff. Please log in to view it.
    Linked Agent
    Creator (cre): Kinsey, Chloe Elizabeth
    Advisor (adv): Farrington, Keith
    Advisor (adv): Mireles, Gilbert
    Department (dpt): Whitman College. Sociology Department
    Date
    May 8, 2013
    Graduation Year
    2013
    Abstract

    The centuries-old Scottish independence movement won a significant victory in autumn 2012 with the agreement of the British government to a referendum on Scottish independence, to be held in September 2014. The movement has been strengthened in recent years by the growth of powerful organizations in favor of independence, including the Scottish National Party and the Scottish Independence Convention. Drawing on social movement theories of national collective identity formation, I examine the use of symbols of Scottish culture, such as tartan patterns, bagpipes, and the Highland landscape, in the formulation of a unique concept of Scottish national identity. I propose that independence movement organizations both strategically employ and avoid the usage of salient images of Scottish culture in order to construct concepts of a unified Scottish national identity. My content analysis of promotional materials produced by Scottish independence movement organizations revealed that political organizations use significantly fewer symbols of national identity than do organizations that operate outside of the political sphere. Through their promotional discourse and broad avoidance of national identity symbols, political organizations in Scotland are actively engaged in the framing of independence as a question of material benefit. This thesis examines the rhetorical strategies employed by the movement in order to shift the concept of Scottish national identity towards that of a modern, European nation that will be stronger economically and socially with independence from the United Kingdom. As Scotland’s independence referendum approaches, the strategies employed by organizations within this movement give great insight into the general political processes of secession and their relationship to citizens’ personal identities.

    Subject
    Anderson, Benedict R. O'G. (Benedict Richard O'Gorman), 1936-2015 -- Imagined communities
    Scotland -- Parliament -- The Scottish Independence Referendum Bill
    Europe -- Independence movements -- Analysis
    Scottish national characteristics
    Referendum -- Scotland -- History -- 21st century
    Nationalism -- National identity
    Political party organization
    Group identity -- Western Europe
    Social sciences
    Academic theses
    Whitman College 2013 -- Dissertation collection -- Sociology Department
    Geographic Subject
    Europe
    Scotland
    Genre
    Theses
    Extent
    132 pages
    Permanent URL
    http://works.whitman.edu/1221
    Rights
    http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
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