Arriving at an identity

It must be noted that the above identities are somewhat masculine in orientation, and it has been suggested that this a common feature of national identity,

Conventional accounts of how national identity is constructed seem to be based on masculinist notions of self-determination and sovereignty. 52

This is not to ignore feminist identity, rather it is in recognition that Scottish identities are defined almost exclusively in masculine terms 53. Likewise, the omission of multi-cultural identities within Scotland is due to the fact that, despite a degree of ethnic immigration, Scottish identity has remained somewhat ethnocentric. Another notable omission from the above discussion of cultural identities is that of social class. This is not because Scotland is exempt from social class divides, rather that the middle class has been conspicuously absent from the cultural fore 54, and this, coupled with the working class connotations of both the urban communities and the tenant farmers of the Highlands, has resulted in the various identities within Scotland being defined in such a way. However, the concept of national identity is not a fixed one, and is constantly evolving. The changing nature of national identity has been a feature since the very beginning of nations, affected by the influences of different cultures at different times 55. Contemporary global processes have been widely acknowledged to have accelerated the pace of this evolvement, and subsequently we may soon see the gender, ethnic or social class identities contributing more significantly to the pluralism of identities within Scotland.

The existence of different identities existing simultaneously is a defining feature of Scotland's pluralistic culture. According to Hall, the conflicting identities considered above should no longer exist in contemporary nations, as they are superseded by the identity of the nation itself,

National cultures are a distinctly modern form. The allegiance and identification which, in a pre-modern age or in more traditional societies, were given to tribe, people, religion and region, came gradually in Western societies to be transferred to the national culture. Regional and ethnic differences were gradually subsumed beneath what Gellner calls the ‘political roof' of the nation-state, which thus became a powerful source of meanings for modern cultural identities. 56

What I have illustrated above is that, in present-day Scotland, a great deal of allegiance is still given to ‘tribe, people, religion and region'. Scotland's historical clan structure is a clear example of a tribal society, not to mention the ‘tribalism' of modern football supporters. Kedourie goes as far to describe nationalism as ‘the new tribalism' 57.

Despite the picture I have painted of the fragmented microstructure of Scottish society, this is not necessarily the reality, as it is possible to arrive at a national identity. Successful attempts to present a unified image of Scotland include the literature of Sir Walter Scott, who celebrated the different identities to build a single national one, built ‘on the territory soaked in the blood of the warring Highlanders and Lowlanders, Kings and Covenanters' 58. Indeed, Anthony Smith asserts that despite the existence of other identities, it is the national identity that is most important,
Other types of collective identity - class, gender, race, religion - may overlap or combine with national identity but they rarely succeed in undermining its hold, though they may influence its direction. 59

Of course, one of the most important defining factors of national identity, for Smith and others (see above) is the concept of a ‘shared history', which is indeed what Scott appeals to.