Duncan Sim

Diaspora tourists and the Scottish Homecoming 2009

Since devolution and the establishment of the Scottish Government, the country has increasingly sought to engage with its diaspora, as part of its tourism strategy. In recent years, many countries have welcomed home their diasporas through organised events and in 2009, the Scottish Government organised a Year of Homecoming. This paper describes the experiences of some of the diaspora Scots who returned ‘home’ that year, and explores how returning ‘home’ had an impact on their knowledge of contemporary Scotland and their continuing sense of a Scottish identity.

Scottish devolution and the Scottish diaspora

This paper describes the relationship that exists between Scotland and its diaspora and the ways in which this has changed since the advent of devolution. Based on interviews carried out primarily in the United States, it explores how members of the diaspora have adopted a less historical and sentimental approach to their ‘homeland’ and are increasingly knowledgeable about Scottish constitutional change. In part this has resulted from the growth of the internet and the ease of finding out about developments in Scotland itself, as well as the greater ease and affordability of travel back to Scotland. But, most importantly, the existence of a government in Edinburgh has allowed Scottish politicians and organizations to engage with the diaspora in events such as Tartan Day, in a way in which London-based politicians were never likely to do. Tourist developments promoted by the Scottish government, such as the Year of Homecoming in 2009, have also been highly significant. Thus links between Scotland and its diaspora have been changed and strengthened in various ways.

Scottish diasporic identities in the Netherlands

This paper describes a research study of Scots living and working in a non-English-speaking country, namely the Netherlands, and discusses the question of whether the group may be said to constitute a ‘diaspora’. It describes the Scottish community within the Netherlands, which is essentially made up of first-generation migrants. Using interview data, the paper explores issues of identity and describes the diaspora organisations, which have been established, and concludes that the Scottish diaspora in the Netherlands (and possibly elsewhere in Europe) is mostly of recent origin and has a strong sense of national identity. It may not function as a diaspora in the traditionally accepted sense.

Scottish clan identities in America: symbolic or real?

ABSTRACT This paper explores Herbert Ganss notion of symbolic ethnicity and his recent assertions that it is effectively at an end and little more than a label. We use research into Scottish-American clan associations to question this assertion and we seek to demonstrate that symbolic ethnicity appears to be alive and well within such diaspora organizations. The paper reports on a series of interviews conducted in 2014 with office bearers and members of clan associations and we use our findings to argue, along with other writers such as Steinberg that, when considering hyphenated ethnicity, it is important not to underestimate the power of the hyphen.

Les Écossais en France: a modern diaspora?

ABSTRACT This paper examines the contemporary Scottish diaspora living and working in France. It considers the makeup, origins, drivers and influences of the diaspora, as well as considering the attitudes and behaviour of the diaspora itself. Through face to face interviews the paper considers the identity held by individuals within the diaspora, organisations they are (or are not) involved with and how they interact with the host country. It also considers diaspora attitudes held towards the homeland, and towards contemporary socio-political events taking place within Scotland today. The paper discusses the modern nature of the diaspora, the strong sense of national identity it holds, and how the Scottish Government may not be connecting with this diaspora at all.

RU EU? A GAME-BASED APPROACH TO EXPLORING 21ST CENTURY EUROPEAN IDENTITY AND VALUES

The RU EU game and support materials are clearly relevant to specific themes of the conference in describing the research and development tasks required for developing a sophisticated and engaging approach to pedagogical Innovations in Education, especially in the field of game based learning. Our paper specifically encourages individuals to think about the nature of both European and National identity, specifically with the context of the EU. At a time when the European Union is subject to significant challenges, the need to better understand and appreciate the role of national and supra-national identity in the European sphere, and the need for people to better understand their own sense of belonging and that of others, is clear. RU EU, an Erasmus + funded project, aims to develop an innovative online game that will help students, and others, across Europe to develop a better understanding of their own National and European identity. The game will allow individuals, and groups of students within the educational environment, understand their own perspectives and values, as well as those of others, and to further examine and reflect upon the impact of such on their identity. The game will seek to challenge attitudes and prejudices by allowing people to engage with real world problems, solving tasks involving a sense of both National and European identities. The game will be a platform for the discussion and analysis of complex and confusing issues relating to a wide range of issues. The development of such a game, in terms of content scenarios and focus has been a major interdisciplinary enterprise bringing together experts with content knowledge, pedagogical understanding and technical expertise. We are still in the early stages of the game development process, specifically in the areas of content, design and future development. Our international team have amassed material ranging from widespread literature reviews, academic interviews and student focus groups and surveys. Our paper describes the process of engaging with these outputs and how we have created an academically sound context for developing the innovative game. In particular, the use of these tasks in designing the game are considered, with an eye to how they will impact the final game design and operation.

The Scots in England – a different kind of diaspora?

ABSTRACT There is a growing interest in the Scottish diaspora, with the Scottish Government keen to develop links with Scots elsewhere. The closest diaspora is in England but appears relatively weak, with Scottish identity declining in strength. Using qualitative interviews, we explore the nature of the Scottish diaspora in England, seeking to explain why it appears less strong than diasporas overseas, for example in North America. We conclude that fewer Scots are migrating to England and that the children of migrant Scots are more likely to adopt an English identity. The diaspora is not, therefore, being ‘refreshed’ and is declining.