Invented Traditions project - Scotland

Invented Traditions: Scotland

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• Bildunterschrift: Kilts: As Scottish as......
• Bildunterschrift: ..... Sean Connery??

Eric Hobsbawm: Invented Traditions

• Hobsbawm defines ‘invented tradition’ as:
• “a set of practices, normally governed by overtly or tacitly accepted rules and of a ritual or symbolic nature, which seek to inculcate certain values and norms of behavior by repetition, which automatically implies continuity with the past”.
• Idea developed in edited book by Eric Hobsbawm and Terrence Ranger . (1983)
• They investigate claims that traditions are old and timehonoured when they have really been recently invented, for political purposes
• “Nations do not make states and nationalisms but the other way round"
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• Bildunterschrift: Eric Hobsbawm (1917-2012)

The Invention of Tradition 1983

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• Chapters in the book include:
• The Highland Tradition of Scotland - Trevor Roper
• The Hunt for the Welsh Past in the Romantic Period - Prys Morgan
• The Context, Perofmance, and Meaning of Ritual (about the Monarchy) - David Cannadine
• Representing Authority in Colonial India - Bernard Cohn
• The Invention of Tradition in Colonial Africa - Terence Ranger
• i.e. the authors see this happening in lots of places around the globe.

Other studies

• More
• recent studies that use this "invention of tradition" concept to
• guide their research
• Mirror of Modernity: Invented
• Traditions of Modern Japan. Edited by Stephen Vlastos (1998)
• Includes essays on diverse 'traditions' such as martial arts, japanese-style
• labor management, and the cult of domesticity
• The Bible and Zionism: Invented Traditions,
• Archaeology and Post-Colonialism in Israel - Palestine by Nur Mashala (2006)
• “Nevruz’ or ‘Newroz’?
• deconstructing the ‘invention’ of a contested tradition in contemporary Turkey” by Lerna Yanik in Middle East Studies (2006)
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Invention of Tradition and Nationalism

• In his 1990 book Nations and Nationalism Since 1780: programme, myth, reality , Hobsbawm identifies three stages in the development of nationalism:
• A preliminary phase in which the idea of the nation is purely cultural and/or folkloric;
• A pioneering phase wherein political campaigners begin to try and raise awareness and mobilize the nation;
• And finally, the stage at which nationalist movements acquire mass support, an occurrence which can come to pass before or after the birth of the state. (page 12)
• The invention of tradition is mobilized by campaigners in the second phase, as a sense of national identity is promoted.

Roper: Scotland

• Hugh Trevor-Roper included a case study of Scotland in Hobsbawm and Ranger's 1983 book The Invention of Tradition
• He extended this in a 2008 book The Invention of Scotland
• He questions what many people would see as some of the key elements of Scottish national identity: like the kilt, and the bagpipe and tartan.
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OSSIAN

• In mid 18th century when political entrepreneurs 'discovered' a Scots-Gaelic epic poet called Ossian who's supposed writing was "discovered" and translated by James Macpherson.
• This popularised the idea that Scottish Highland culture was ancient and noble and distinct from other parts of Britain.
• But actually Roper and others conclude that Macpherson probably just made up all the poems, based on some myths and legends.
• However the poetry was popular so it still contributed to the myth of the Scottish nation
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The Kilt

• Kilt invented in mid eighteenth century (which is a long time ago but definitely not ancient).
• Invented by Thomas Rawlinson - an ENGLISHMAN!
• People used to wrap fabric around themselves (like a skirt), but he thought it would be handier if it had pleats sewn in.
• In old times people wrapped themselves in fabric but it was not like the modern kilt.
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• Bildunterschrift: Not a kilt!

Tartans

• Family tartans probably never existed historically.
• Tartan patterns would have varied by region but people would really just wear . What tartan one wore was mainly a decision based on preference or fashion.
• People became interested in Tartan and started having patterns made for their families, but the idea that the patterns reflect ancient clans, Roper says is a myth.
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• Bildunterschrift: Not Ancient

Functionalism

• Functionalism as a sociological perspective emphasizes how different parts of a system contribute to the stability of the whole.
• Durkheim on Suicide
• Merton on Crime
• Following Hobsbawm and Ranger, and Trevor-Roper we can look at how the invention of tradition in Scotland worked in the interests of Scottish nationalists
• Functionalism

Effects of invented traditions

• The epic poetry of Ossian contributed to the understanding on the part of people in Scotland that they had a history and culture that was distinct from England, or other parts of what became the United Kingdom. This contributed to a political desire for independence.
• It is important to note that it didn't really matter that Macpherson made things up because the effect of the myth was important - i.e. it was functional.
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National Identity

• The tartan and the kilt provided symbols for people to emphasize their Scottish national identity. People could visually represent their "Scottishness", and assess the nationality of others. Having a family tartan provided a sense of legitimacy for powerful families.
• These "traditions" were propagated in a variety of ways. As nationalism coincided with the tourism industry and more global communication, the myth of these 'ancient' traditions spread even further - and contributed to the tourism industry.
• These symbols continue to be important to Scottish national identity, and we can see evidence for this in the 2014 referendum.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aiOSwQGsA8 (Einbetten)

KILTS

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46iAL8QS8G8 (Einbetten)
• It also means that when people complain about modern interpretations of tartan, they are failing to recognise that tartan itself is a modern invention, and that kilts were never uniquely Scottish.