National Identities and Twentieth-Century Scottish Migrants in England
National Identities and Twentieth-Century Scottish Migrants in England
This chapter presents a preliminary examination of the twentieth-century Scottish migrant experience within England by investigating notions of national identity as articulated by individual migrants. It also shows that the analysis of interviews with Scottish immigrants in England reveal ‘predominantly favourable accounts of life in England’ and indicate that ‘Scots did not receive a hostile reception’. The six interviews used here for the exploration of Scottish identity were sourced from the National Sound Archive at the British Library. For the purposes of this discussion, expressions of identity are confined to Scottish-born migrants. In exploring what Scottish identities meant to these migrants, the chapter is mainly concerned with personal manifestations of Scottishness. The internal character of Scottishness briefly outlined in this chapter can misleadingly suggest that Scots were integrated into the societies they settled in. Moreover, the testimonies indicate that interpretations of Scottish identity have for too long been reliant on domestic conditions in Scotland.
Keywords: Scottish migrant, England, national identity, Scottish identity, Scottishness, twentieth century
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