Ethnic Politics in Scotland
Shetland, Orkney May Push for Independence, Says Political Scientist Britt Cartrite
When Britt Cartrite traveled to the Scottish Islands of Shetland and
Orkney and the Faroe Islands of Denmark in the summer of 2008 for
research, he found something very unexpected.
Scotland will likely hold a referendum in 2010 to secede from the
United Kingdom. But the islands of Shetland and Orkney do not consider
themselves Scottish.
Britt Cartrite, left
“These
islands were first settled by Vikings and still retain many of those
traditions,” says Cartrite, an assistant professor of political science
who studies ethnic politics in Europe. “Many there don’t even consider
themselves part of the UK — they are actually closer to Norway than to
Edinburgh. They consider themselves as ‘Nordic Nations’ outside of the
European Union.”
Many forces are in play, but Cartrite thinks if Scotland does secede
from the UK, and possibly even if they don’t, Shetland and Orkney may
declare their independence from Scotland.
The situation is similar in the Faroe Islands. Though the islands are
technically a part of Denmark, the people consider themselves a
separate group entirely and are pushing for independence.
Many scholars have focused on the issues for Denmark and the European
Union if the Faroe Islands secede, but when Cartrite presented his
research in Madrid in September, he said few were aware of the issues
in Scotland.
“Essentially, all the same issues are at hand — if the Faroe Islands,
or Shetland and Orkney, secede, it may create a domino effect that will
cause other regions in Europe to secede as well,” he says.
The European Union won’t say how it will react to any secession,
Cartrite says, but there are two possible scenarios. Either the EU will
not automatically admit the seceded countries as members, as to not
weigh down the Union, or it will admit them and shift from a unified
stance to a majority rule.
Students will have a first-hand opportunity to experience these ethnic
politics during Cartrite’s 2009 Spring Term class. For the second time,
Cartrite and Scottish poet Ken Steven will take a group of students to
Scotland for a month to study literature and politics.
“It catches the students by surprise that the Scottish identity is
defined so differently, depending on the region,” he says. “Even Ken
was surprised by the difference in regions during the first course.”
— Amanda VanLente-Hatter
Posted: Thu, December 4th, 2008 at 1:29PM
