The National Identity of Scotland

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Introduction

The post-modern world of globalisation seems to threat the nations, homogenising their cultures and erasing individual characteristics. In that sense, the case of Scotland is rather peculiar one. Firstly, Scotland is part of Britain. Secondly, Britain is part of the European Union. Finally, Scotland is part of the globalizing community. This underpins the complex situation Scotland is put in, trying to maintain its national identity in the context of British, European and global influences. Consequently, complicating the task to do so. The case study would be Edinburgh where the exploration of the evidence evidence from the field work would be put in the context of the ways in which urban space and nationalistic imaginings are used shape the structural symbolism of the Scottish national identity.

Evidence from the field work

Observations took place on the Mound, the Royal Mile, and the Scottish Parliament. These areas provided quite tensed experience in terms of symbolism, both inclusive and exclusive of certain aspects of the nation, the state, and identity. The presence of military, economic, and political institutions was dominating over the national or identity representations, yet the national symbols could have been found in all of them. The Black Watch Memorial (see Image 1) located on the Mound, which commemorates the deaths of Scottish soldiers from the Black Watch regiment during the South African War(The Anglo-Boer war of 1889-1902), was only the first of such appearances of national imaginings. The Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle had a persistent military representation. The Indian Campaign memorial reminded of the casualties in the Indian Mutiny. Along the Esplanade distinctive figures started appea...

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