This thesis charts the perception of Scottish identity through history, with particular reference to the construction of a new, Highland stereotype of Scottish identity in the nineteenth century, and the dissemination of this identity around the world. The destruction of Scotlands origin myths and the collapse of traditional institutions of identity prior to the eighteenth century are charted, and the role of Scottish societies, Empire, the media and Scottish commercial agencies in spreading and legitimising this stereotype are analysed. It is shown that there was a fundamental shift from consumer to customer, from history to heritage at just the time a new, "tartan" confection of Scottish identity was created, which helped ingrain this image in the popular consciousness. Traditional markers of "Scottishness" are discussed, but found wanting when applied to the diaspora, and other markers for Scottish identity applicable to Scots outwith Scotland's borders are suggested. The Internet is introduced as a new medium which will have a particular impact on Scottish history and identity in the future. By allowing the democratisation of presentations of history online, the Internet enables a multiplicity of Scotlands to be presented to a massive global audience. Current initiatives concerning Scottish history online are assessed, and Scotland is found to be lagging behind contemporary countries in presenting her history, and consequently her identity, online.

In this thesis I analyse the dynamics of youth, race and rurality by considering the life experiences of young people in relation to race and racism through a small –scale study I have conducted over eight months. The study also investigates the aspirations of eight black and minority ethnic young people living in the Scottish Highlands. The study found that young people’s experiences of racism and racial microaggressions were exacerbated by a ‘conspiracy of silence’ in which institutional actors such as service providers, who are there to support and encourage young people, have knowingly, or inadvertently, contributed to undermining, marginalising and excluding black and minority ethnic young people through misunderstanding or misrecognition of experiences of racialisation in rural areas. I observed how these minority young people engaged in strategies of resistance and resilience as a prevalent response when negotiating racist experiences and racial microaggressions. It was further evident that the deficient practices of institutional actors, such as teachers, youth workers and most service providers play a tangible role in perpetuating racism and racial discrimination in the Highlands. The study recommends that to reduce bias and discrimination against black and minority ethnic pupils requires a range of strategies ranging from enhancing teacher confidence in teaching and addressing different forms of racism, a need for teachers to have training on anti-racist education and pedagogical approaches, recruitment of black and minority ethnic practitioners for different service provision, recognition and promotion of the benefits of multilingualism and opportunities for white majority pupils to have greater exposure to diversity in rural Scotland.

This thesis seeks to make visible the presence and voices of minority ethnic households in rural communities by addressing the ‘place blindness’ in research on ethnicity / ‘race’, and the ethnicity / ‘race’ blindness in rural literature. The overall aim of this thesis is to develop an understanding of the lived experiences and perspectives of minority ethnic households and individuals in parts of rural Scotland, and the Highlands and Islands in particular. The emphasis is on exploring the contingent, flexible and changing interaction between ethnicity / ‘race’ and rurality. This is achieved by drawing on four separately commissioned studies which were undertaken between 1998 and 2004, and were re-analysed for the purposes of this thesis. Within the context of these studies, the thesis examines the ways in which the social and spatial demography of rural minority ethnic households, and particular conceptualisations of rural have been mobilised to shape ideas and practices about belonging in parts of rural Scotland. In particular, the studies explore the ways in which minority ethnic households, parents/carers and young people across the four studies have felt they have been ‘invisible’ in relation to policy and service delivery issues, and developed strategies to overcome their marginalisation. The thesis concludes that the relationships, experiences and practices based on ethnicity / ‘race’ have to be understood as being grounded in specific spatial, national, local, historical and material contexts which are dynamic. It stresses the need to move away from binary accounts portraying minority ethnic groups as always ‘passive victims’, and the ‘host’ communities as invariably ‘perpetrators’ of racism, by recognising the importance of taking into account the cross-cutting nature of individual identities and experiences, deconstructing ‘white’ and recognising the countervailing forces of constraints and agency within this context.