This book reassesses the relationship between 'nationalism' and 'unionism' in Scottish politics, challenging a binary reading of the two ideologies with the concept of 'nationalist unionism'. Scottish nationalism did not begin with the SNP in 1934, nor was it confined to political parties which desired independent statehood. Rather it was more dispersed, with the Liberal, Conservative and Labour parties all attempting to harness Scottish national identity and nationalism between 1884 and 2014, often with the paradoxical goal of strengthening rather than ending the Union. The book combines nationalist theory with empirical historical and archival research to argue that these conceptions of Scottish nationhood had much more in common with each other than is commonly accepted.

About the Author
David Torrance, Devolution and Constitution Specialist, House of Commons Library.


Book Information
ISBN 9781474447829
Author David Torrance
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Edinburgh University Press
Publisher Edinburgh University Press