Scottish Nationalism and the Idea of Britain module (HY42057)

Even as the Queen's Great Seal was drying on the parchment of the 1707 Act of Union, the creation of Great Britain was debated and challenged. Since then it has been denounced and celebrated, but above all it has endured. This political bargain resulted in Europe's longest lasting unbroken union between two nations, one that persisted throughout Europe's two phases of nationalist uprising, the 1790s and the 1840s, and throughout the phase of neo-nationalism at the end of the twentieth century. In 2014 a referendum was held that asked whether the Union was to remain.

In this module you will examine the historical reasons behind the answer given by the people who voted. You will also explore the history of Scotland and Britain, first through the lens of national identity and then through the lens of nationalism. 
 

What you will learn

In this module you will:

• develop an understanding of how different generations formed and adapted their vision for Scotland’s future against the backdrop of an ever-changing Britain
   
• develop a theoretical understanding of the processes involved in nation building
• explore the culture of Scottish national identity - through sound, music, film, artefacts, monuments, poetry, and novels
• deepen your knowledge and understanding of how the ‘idea of Britain’ was conveyed into Scottish life by, for example, the armed forces, the monarchy, the BBC, displays of the Union flag, the national anthem, and via any number of cultural, social, and economic activities.
• learn of the transition from political to cultural Jacobitism, and from national identity to nationalism
• investigate the origins of political nationalism in Scotland, from the 1850s to the present

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• understand how the Union of 1707 has impacted different generations and people in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, politically, economically, and culturally
• understand the theories of nationalism as applied to the union and the unitary state, in civil society and in the nationalism of the state
• contrast civic nationalism and ethnic nationalism, and symbolic and political nationalism

Assignments / assessment

• research paper 3,500 words (50%)
• source exercise 2,000 words (35%)
• presentation 15 minutes (15%)

Teaching methods / timetable

• two weekly seminars

Indicative seminar schedule: