From Publishers Weekly
Ray, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of the South, examines "the phenomenal growth of the Scottish heritage movement across the U.S. in past decades" and presents it as a case study in how American ethnic identity is formed over time. Interestingly, for instance, Ray notes that the movement is dominated by "highlandism," the phenomenon whereby Scottish Americans, regardless of their ancestral region, "claim a Highland Scots identity constructed in the 19th century through romanticism, militarism and tourism." A preponderance of Scottish societies, games, cultural events, military reenactments and venues for the study of genealogy and clan traditions exist in the South, where Scots have settled for centuries. Indeed, according to Ray, the "memory of Scottish ancestral tradition has merged with that of the Southern experience." Founded in 1955, North Carolina's Grandfather Mountain Highland Games annually draws crowds of 30,000. Half of all Scottish societies and one-third of the 200 U.S. clan gatherings and festivals are located in the South. After nine years of participating in and interviewing at community events, Ray studies the identity politics borne out in the attire, oral traditions, publications, clan pride, the role of women, songs and dances, heritage dinners, game innovations, displays of weaponry and other Scotticisms encouraged by the movement, as well as by film and TV (Braveheart; Highlander) and by Scotland's tourism campaign in this country. The book is a curious combination of resource compendium, exhaustively detailed anthropological study and astute cultural criticism. Extensive research, clear prose and respect for her subjects will win this authoritative work favor among Scottish American enthusiasts and academics alike. 40 photos, maps and charts. (Mar. 12)Forecast: This book clearly defines its own market: it will have guaranteed word-of-mouth publicity among society members and participants in the heritage celebrations Ray describes in the South and elsewhere.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
"[Ray] recreates in detail the annual Highland games and gathering at Grandfather Mountain, N.C." --
A Nota Bene selection of THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
