Internal Colonialism: The Celtic Fringe in British National DevelopmentRecent years have seen a resurgence of separatist sentiments among national minorities in many industrial societies, including the United Kingdom. In 1997, the Scottish and Welsh both set up their own parliamentary bodies, while the tragic events in Northern Ireland continued to be a reminder of the Irish problem. These phenomena call into question widely accepted social theories which assume that ethnic attachments in a society will wane as industrialization proceeds. This book presents the social basis of ethnic identity, and examines changes in the strength of ethnic solidarity in the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. As well as being a case study, the work also has implications, as it suggests that the internal colonialism of the kind experienced in the British Isles has its analogues in the histories of other industrial societies. Hechter examines the unexpected persistence of ethnicity in the politics of industrial societies by focusing on the British Isles. Why do many of the inhabitants of Wales, Scotland and Ireland continue to maintain an ethnic identity opposed to England? Hechter explains the salience of ethnic identity by analyzing the relationships between England, the national core, and its periphery, the Celtic fringe, in the context of two alternative models of core-periphery relations in the industrial setting. The "diffusion" model suggests that intergroup contact leads to ethnic homogenization, and the "internal colonial" model, suggests such contact heightens distinctive ethnic identification. His findings lend support to the internal colonial model, and show that, although industrialization did contribute to a decline in interregional linguistic differences, it resulted neither in the cultural assimilation of Celtic lands, nor the development of regional economic equality. The study concludes that ethnic solidarity will inevitably emerge among groups which are relegated to inferior positions in a cultural division of labour. |
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Internal Colonialism: The Celtic Fringe in British National Development Michael Hechter Limited preview - 2017 |
Internal Colonialism: The Celtic Fringe in British National Development Michael Hechter No preview available - 2017 |
Common terms and phrases
agricultural analysis anglicization areas basis behavior Britain British Isles Catholic Celtic fringe Celtic lands Celtic language Celtic nationalism Celtic periphery Celtic regions Celts cent Church cleavages consequence Conservative voting context core cultural differences cultural distinctions cultural division differential diffusion division of labor dominant effect election enclave endogamy England English ethnic groups ethnic solidarity evidence extent Hence highlands hinterland History imperialism indicator individuals Industrial counties industrial societies inequality interaction internal colonial internal colonial model Irish language London lowland means ment Michael Hechter national development nationalist nineteenth century Non-industrial counties Nonconformist Nonconformity Northern Ireland occupational occur patterns peripheral group peripheral regions peripheral sectionalism Plaid Cymru policies political integration population regression relatively religious salience Scotland Scots Scottish nationalism significant social structural status group tend territories theory tion trade Union United Kingdom voting residuals Wales and Scotland Welsh and Scottish Welsh language workers York