--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By 1938, Scotland had for nearly 200…" description: "\"“By 1938, Scotland had for nearly 200 years lived within a classic peripheral identity assigned to it by the artists and ideologues of the great Europe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/colin-mcarthur-67480_1938_by-1938-scotland-had-for-nearly-200-year_1387250.jpg" --- # By 1938, Scotland had for nearly 200 years lived within a… ![“By 1938, Scotland had for nearly 200 years lived within a classic peripheral identity assigned to it by the artists and ideologues of the great European core cultures through the mode of Romanticism and their control of the means of (ideological) production. However, the brute fact of subsequent…” quote by Colin McArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/colin-mcarthur-67480_1938_by-1938-scotland-had-for-nearly-200-year_1387250.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/colin-mcarthur-67480_1938_by-1938-scotland-had-for-nearly-200-year_1387250.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/colin-mcarthur-67480_1938_by-1938-scotland-had-for-nearly-200-year_1387250.jpg) > ““By 1938, Scotland had for nearly 200 years lived within a classic peripheral identity assigned to it by the artists and ideologues of the great European core cultures through the mode of Romanticism and their control of the means of (ideological) production. However, the brute fact of subsequent uneven economic development compelled the Scots to bring into collision with that historically assigned identity a new-fashioned identity more appropriate to a dynamic modern nation. Great national moments of self-presentation, such as the Glasgow Empire Exhibition of 1938, were the occasions when the ongoing dialectic of modern/urban against rural/ancient emerged in its most public and delirious form. Such occasions therefore hold a political lesson. The process of speaking with two voices - the fissures; the uncertainties; the grating shifts of gear from one discourse to another - assert once more, the fluid, unstable character of national identity. Such occasions proclaim that national identity is not a set of inborn, natural characteristic in a people, but the product of that people's history. With the realisation of instability comes the realisation of the possibility of change.”” Colin McArthur ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. National identity is fluid, shaped by history and economic change, not fixed. **In simple terms:** Identity changes over time. Key Takeaway Recognize identity as evolving. Themes history economics nationalism Mood analytical critical Type historical political When to use this quote - policy making - education - media analysis Key Concepts cultural fluidity identity construction Questions to Reflect On - What forces reshape national identity? - How can societies embrace fluid identities? A Different Perspective Identity narratives can be contested and politicized. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Economic development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-development/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [National identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-identity/) [Romanticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romanticism/) [Scotland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scotland/) ## Related quotes > [“That concentration camps were ultimately provided for the same groups in all countries, even though there were considerable differences in the treatment of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/that-concentration-camps-were-ultimately-provided-for-the-same-groups/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [“All right, let's consider some history here. I see a number of girls are wearing pants. This used to be frowned upon. 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Great national moments of self-presentation, such as the Glasgow Empire Exhibition of 1938, were the occasions when the ongoing dialectic of modern/urban against rural/ancient emerged in its most public and delirious form. Such occasions therefore hold a political lesson. The process of speaking with two voices - the fissures; the uncertainties; the grating shifts of gear from one discourse to another - assert once more, the fluid, unstable character of national identity. Such occasions proclaim that national identity is not a set of inborn, natural characteristic in a people, but the product of that people's history. 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