
I am a Scottish nationalist.
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| Trying to figure out WTF is going on
I am a Scottish nationalist. Being a Scottish nationalist necessarily implies a degree of ethnic nationalism. But a degree of ethnic nationalism does not necessarily imply any measure of racist bigotry or xenophobic prejudice. I am an ethic nationalist only to the extent that I recognise and identify with a Scottish ethnicity. But my ethnic nationalism stops well short of considering Scots an exclusive group, far less a superior one.
Is ethnic nationalism a bad thing? The only sensible answer is that it depends on the way ethnicity is regarded. I regard Scottish ethnicity as open and inclusive. Anyone can choose to be Scottish. They will be Scottish in a different way from those whose ties to the country are historical and genealogical, just as those who learn a language later in life are different from those who absorb it from their social environment from infancy. But different doesn't mean lesser. Being Scottish isn’t a matter of common heritage and ancestry, but shared purpose and commitment. Being Scottish isn’t a matter of common heritage and ancestry, but shared purpose and commitment. If being Scottish were entirely about heritage and ancestry - some historical and genealogical legacy - it would be about how people were in the past. Being about a shared commitment makes it about how people are now.
The narrow and shallow kind of ethnic nationalism says that ethnicity is and can only be historical and genealogical. My kind of ethnic nationalism recognises the historical and genealogical aspect but expands to include a civic and social element. Sign the MfI Petition You're currently a free subscriber to Peter A Bell. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. Upgrade to paid | |

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