'Your wee bit hill and glen' : the cultural politics of the Scottish Highlands, c. 1918-1945
This thesis examines the struggles for moral, cultural and political control of the Scottish Highlands during the period, c.1918-1945. Using library and archival material it demonstrates how a range of contesting landscape narratives, each based on an amalgam of myth, ideal and reality, were constructed for a region holding a peculiarly intense significance in the Scottish and British consciousness. By dissecting four inter-related debates about where, and to whom, the Highlands belonged, the thesis considers several overarching themes; questions of nationhood, citizenship, tradition, modernity and the division of power in society are all addressed. Firstly, it examines the creation of a sophisticated landowning mythology to counter increasingly vociferous public opposition to the elite sporting industry. Secondly, it explores how this landowning hegemony was threatened by the rise of a populist outdoor movement, and asserts that only through steady institutionalisation and the discrete involvement of reactionary interests was the vibrant recreative community emasculated. Thirdly, it analyses conflicts over the conceptualisation of the Highlands as a location suitable for modern industry, infrastuctural improvement
Lorimer, Hayden
History ; Cultural politics ; Scotland
'Your wee bit hill and glen' : the cultural politics of the Scottish Highlands, c. 1918-1945. This thesis examines the struggles for moral, cultural and political control of the Scottish Highlands during the period, c.1918-1945. Using library and archival material it demonstrates how a range of contesting landscape narratives, each based on an amalgam of myth, ideal and reality, were constructed for a region holding a peculiarly intense significance in the Scottish and British consciousness. By dissecting four inter-related debates about where, and to whom, the Highlands belonged, the thesis considers several overarching themes; questions of nationhood, citizenship, tradition, modernity and the division of power in society are all addressed. Firstly, it examines the creation of a sophisticated landowning mythology to counter increasingly vociferous public opposition to the elite sporting industry. Secondly, it explores how this landowning hegemony was threatened by the rise of a populist outdoor movement, and asserts that only through steady institutionalisation and the discrete involvement of reactionary interests was the vibrant recreative community emasculated. Thirdly, it analyses conflicts over the conceptualisation of the Highlands as a location suitable for modern industry, infrastuctural improvement
bit hill cultural politics scottish_highlands examines struggle moral cultural_political control scottish_highlands period using library archival_material demonstrate range contest landscape narrative base myth ideal reality construct region hold peculiarly intense significance scottish british consciousness inter_related debate highlands belong considers several overarch_theme question nationhood citizenship tradition modernity division power society address firstly examines_creation sophisticate landowning mythology counter increasingly public opposition elite sport industry secondly explore landowning hegemony threaten rise populist outdoor movement assert steady institutionalisation discrete involvement reactionary interest vibrant community thirdly analyse conflict conceptualisation highlands location suitable modern industry improvement