Field Research in Scotland

Summer Capstone Project:

The Politics of Identity in the "New" Scotland.

In the summer of 1999, Scotland opened its new parliament, established in the wake of the devolution of powers from central government to the newly elected Scottish parliament. Doug Caulkins and seven Grinnell students were on hand to study various aspects of the identity of the post-Braveheart Scotland. The project lasted 10 weeks, with 6 weeks of fieldwork in Scotland. Anna Painter ('99) served as assistant director of the project. Sarah Silberman, Brooke Heaton, Kristina Valada-Viars, Laurelin Muir, Elizabeth Neerland, and Lara Ratzlaff each had individual research projects that fit within the framework of the politics of identity. Among the topics covered are the construction of social capital within Scotland, the changing role of the political parties, the dialogue over identity, measures for attracting alienated youth back into the civil society, and the changing arts scene in the newly self-conscious Scotland. The group was based in Stirling, and traveled frequently to Glasgow or Edinburgh to carry our interviews and attend various events, including the official opening of the new Scottish Parliament. The group is collaborating on a research paper that will summarize their findings. Funding was provided by the new Capstone Program of the Fund for Excellence. Remaining in Grinnell, Christina Peters carried out research on another summer capstone project on a grid/group analysis of North American immigrant groups, using data from the Electronic Human Relations Area Files.

Front Row L to R: Sarah Silberman, Brooke Heaton, and Elizabeth Neerland Back row: Anna Painter

Laurelin Muir See article above.

Elizabeth Neerland, one of the student researchers in the summer of 1999 completed a senior thesis in December 1999 entitled "Diversity in Post-Devolutionary Scottish Identity: A Grid/Group Analysis." She is preparing a paper on "Mapping Cultural Diversity in Post-Devolutionary Scotland" for a panel on "The Politics of Identity in the 'New' Scotland" organized by Douglas Caulkins for the Society for Cross-Cultural Research annual meetings in New Orleans, February 2000. Other papers in that panel include Brooke Heaton, "The 'New' Politics of Post-Devolution Scotland," Lara Ratzlaff, "Mobilizing Alienated Youth in Post-Devolution Scotland," and Laurelin Muir, "Negotiating Multiculturalism in Post-Devolution Scotland."

In the summer of 1997 Meredith Good carried out field research in the Scottish Highland community of Dingwall, not far from Inverness. She conducted interviews about Scottish identity, using the same set of questions employed in earlier research by Grinnell students in Wales and Ireland. A comparative analysis of the cultural models in these three Celtic nations is underway. Some publications on research in Scotland's "Silicon Glen," between Glasgow and Edinburgh: Doug Caulkins Forthcoming 1998: "Consensus analysis of criteria for business performance: Do Scottish business advisers agree on models of success?" In Victor DeMunck and Lisa Sobo, Using Methods in the Field, Alta Vista Press. Douglas Caulkins 1997 "Is Small Still Beautiful? Low Growth Firms and Regional Development in Scotland's Silicon Glen." In Jonathan Andelson, (ed) Anthropology Matters: Essays in Honor of Ralph Luebben. Grinnell: Grinnell College (pp. 53-63) ISBN 0-9607182-0-6