Honors Thesis Archive

Author	Nicole A. Robinson
Title	"Here's Tae Us! Wha's Like Us?" Jacobitism and the Creation of a Scottish National Identity
Department	History
Advisor	Tammy Proctor
Year	2003
Honors	University Honors
Note	Passed with Distinction
Full Text	View Thesis (657 KB)
Abstract	The Jacobite Risings that took place during the eighteenth century were meant to restore the deposed Stuarts to the throne of Great Britain. They were never successful in that goal, but the Risings were instrumental in a larger cultural change that took place during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Throughout history, there had been a distinct cultural divide between the Highlands and the Lowlands of Scotland; Lowlanders viewed Highlanders as barbaric, uncultured, and savage. Today, however, customs of the Highlands, such as kilts, bagpipes, and Highland ballads, express what it means to be Scottish. After the Jacobite Risings, the actual Highland way of life was first destroyed and then embraced by the Lowlands as a way to express Scottish national identity. The roots of this drastic shift are deeply imbedded in Jacobitism, and the effects of the change are seen in the way in which both Scots and the outside world view Scotland today.