Scottish national identity: Difference between revisions

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	A considerable majority of the people of ] share a '''Scottish national identity''', usually with considerable pride in their ], its history and with the achievements of their countrymen including those who have emigrated and their descendants. The ] ~~goes~~ ~~back~~ to the ~~early~~ ] ~~with~~ ~~frequent~~ ~~conflict~~ ~~against~~ the ]. Even though the countries have shared monarchs since the ] ] and Parliaments since the ] the Scottish ] remains strong, though many residents of Scotland will also, or alternatively, identify with ], the ] or ]. Furthermore, Scotland has a large English minority, some of whom continue to identify themselves with ].		A considerable majority of the people of ] share a '''Scottish national identity''', usually with considerable pride in their ], its history and with the achievements of their countrymen including those who have emigrated and their descendants. The story of the ] starts in the later period of the so-called ]. Scotland was forged from the union of the ] "Scots" kingdom of ], the ] ], the ] kingdom of ] and the ]ish Kingdom, the latter's origin being highly contentious. The disparate cultures of Scotland were cemented together firstly by the ] threat, and latterly in the ] by aggression from the neighbouring ]. Even though the countries have shared monarchs since the ] ] and Parliaments since the ] the Scottish ] remains strong, though many residents of Scotland will also, or alternatively, identify with ], the ] or ]. Furthermore, Scotland has a large English minority, some of whom continue to identify themselves with ].

	The Scottish national identity (see ]) is largely free from ] distinction, and it has been noted (Sunday Herald ] ]) that many of "immigrant" descent see themselves (and are seen as), for example, ]i and Scottish: Asian-Scots. This contrasts with a tendency in England for such families to be called "]" but not "English". Identification of others as Scottish is generally a matter of accent, and though the various dialects of the ] and ] (or the accents of ] speakers) are distinctive, people associate them all together as Scottish with a shared identity, as well as a ]al or ] identity. Some parts of Scotland, like ], the ], the north east of Scotland and ] and ] retain a strong sense of regional identity, alongside the idea of a Scottish national identity.<ref name="Regional">{{cite book		The Scottish national identity (see ]) is largely free from ] distinction, and it has been noted (Sunday Herald ] ]) that many of "immigrant" descent see themselves (and are seen as), for example, ]i and Scottish: Asian-Scots. This contrasts with a tendency in England for such families to be called "]" but not "English". Identification of others as Scottish is generally a matter of accent, and though the various dialects of the ] and ] (or the accents of ] speakers) are distinctive, people associate them all together as Scottish with a shared identity, as well as a ]al or ] identity. Some parts of Scotland, like ], the ], the north east of Scotland and ] and ] retain a strong sense of regional identity, alongside the idea of a Scottish national identity.<ref name="Regional">{{cite book

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A considerable majority of the people of Scotland share a Scottish national identity, usually with considerable pride in their nation, its history and with the achievements of their countrymen including those who have emigrated and their descendants. The story of the Scottish Nation starts in the later period of the so-called Dark Age. Scotland was forged from the union of the Goidelic "Scots" kingdom of Dalriada, the Brythonic Kingdom of Strathclyde, the Anglo Saxon kingdom of Bernicia and the Pictish Kingdom, the latter's origin being highly contentious. The disparate cultures of Scotland were cemented together firstly by the Viking threat, and latterly in the High Middle Ages by aggression from the neighbouring Kingdom of England. Even though the countries have shared monarchs since the 1603 Union of the Crowns and Parliaments since the Act of Union 1707 the Scottish identity remains strong, though many residents of Scotland will also, or alternatively, identify with Great Britain, the United Kingdom or Europe. Furthermore, Scotland has a large English minority, some of whom continue to identify themselves with England.

The Scottish national identity (see citizenship) is largely free from ethnic distinction, and it has been noted (Sunday Herald 4 September 2005) that many of "immigrant" descent see themselves (and are seen as), for example, Pakistani and Scottish: Asian-Scots. This contrasts with a tendency in England for such families to be called "British" but not "English". Identification of others as Scottish is generally a matter of accent, and though the various dialects of the Scots language and Scottish English (or the accents of Gaelic speakers) are distinctive, people associate them all together as Scottish with a shared identity, as well as a regional or local identity. Some parts of Scotland, like Glasgow, the Outer Hebrides, the north east of Scotland and Orkney and Shetland retain a strong sense of regional identity, alongside the idea of a Scottish national identity.

Politics of identity

Those seeking a return to Scotland being an independent sovereign state separate from the United Kingdom draw strongly on a Scottish identity, describing themselves as the Scottish independence movement. They often claim that those not sharing their aims are unionists despite the association of that term with the Conservative and Unionist Party, though some are offended when the terms "separatists" or even "nationalists" are applied to themselves. In more extreme cases some argue that "British nationalists/British unionists (Labourites, Cons, LibDems) are extremely proactive in attempting to destroy the English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish identities and attempting to erect a "British" identity. This characterisation is challenged by the fact that these parties actively promote a Scottish identity, and indeed the devolved Scottish Parliament was brought into being by the Labour Party despite strong opposition by the Conservative and Unionist Party. The pro-independence Scottish National Party only agreed to support the devolved Scottish Parliament after extensive negotiations, fearing that this step would distract from their goal of full independence.

Cultural icons

The Scottish cultural icons of tartan, the kilt and bagpipes are widely but not universally liked (or flaunted) by Scots, but their establishment as symbols for the whole of Scotland only dates back to the early 19th century and specifically to the pageantry for the visit of King George IV to Scotland organised by Sir Walter Scott who was himself very much a Unionist and Tory at the same time as being a great populariser of Scottish mythology through his writings. Also, a popular icon is the Loch Ness Monster in Loch Ness.

References

This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Scottish national identity" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2006) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Lynch, Michael (2001). The Oxford Companion to Scottish history. Oxford University Press. pp. pp504-509. ISBN 0-19-211696-7. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)

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