Diaspora tourists and the Scottish Homecoming 2009

Abstract

Since devolution and the establishment of the Scottish Government, the country has increasingly sought to engage with its diaspora, as part of its tourism strategy. In recent years, many countries have welcomed home their diasporas through organised events and in 2009, the Scottish Government organised a Year of Homecoming. This paper describes the experiences of some of the diaspora Scots who returned ‘home’ that year, and explores how returning ‘home’ had an impact on their knowledge of contemporary Scotland and their continuing sense of a Scottish identity.

Keywords:

• diaspora
• identity
• national identity
• cultural heritage

Acknowledgements

The research on which this paper is based was funded by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland and we are most grateful to them. Thanks also to those people who distributed our questionnaires during Homecoming events, to the homecomers who gave us their time and input, and to Craig MacDonald, who helped with data analysis.

Additional information

Duncan Sim is Reader in Sociology at the University of the West of Scotland. His research interests lie in issues of ethnicity and identity and particularly in relation to migrants and diasporas. He has undertaken research on the Scottish diaspora in North America, in Europe and within the rest of the UK as well as with migrants and diaspora visitors within Scotland. His work has been funded by a range of governmental and charitable sources and he has published widely.

Murray Leith is a lecturer in Politics at the University of the West of Scotland. His research interests cover areas such as nationalism and national identity, especially in relation to issues such as politics, and elite activity. He has published research on nationalism and politics in Scotland, the Scottish diaspora in Europe and the UK, and diaspora relations with Scotland. Dr Leith and Dr Sim are in the process of jointly editing a book on the contemporary Scottish diaspora for Edinburgh University Press.