現代スコットランドのナショナリズムにおける「ヨーロッパ」の役割

エスニシティとEU

抄録

This paper aims to explore the ever challenging theme of the future of the nation-state in relation to European integration, based on theories of nationalism and national identity. The paper looks closely at contemporary Scottish nationalism, and tries to find some material on this issue by examining the role of ‘Europe’ in the recent rise of Scottish nationalism.
Based on interviews with Scottish elites, which the author has been carrying out since the Summer of 1993, three points are made. First, ‘Europe’ is important for the promotion of the cause of independence because the European Union is regarded as a guarantor of Scottish independence. Secondly, ‘Europe’ is important because it can promise the Scots an alternative to the British Empire in which they are expected to realise their talent and skill, and thus revitalise the Scottish nation. Finally, because at present ‘Europe’ can only be defined according to civic values, it is a symbol of liberal aspiration of Scottish elites who see the Scottish nation as being civic, not ethnic. In each case, ‘Europe’ has a positive role to play in promoting Scottish nationalism. These views, however, do not suggest the emergence of a European super-state with a European identity transcending existing national identities. This is basically in line with sociologists' view on this matter.
Although the creation of a European super-state is very remote, the findings do not preclude the possibility of the emergence of some kind of ‘European consciousness’. Here, British identity has emerged as a possible model for such a sense of belonging. It is argued that British identity has never been a national identity by which is meant loyalty and a sense of belonging to the group called ‘nation’. But it is a kind of supra-national identity which has brought four nations of the United Kingdom together under the Crown, the Empire and Protestantism. With its civic values, ‘Europe’ may be able to produce such a loose form of identity. At the same time, the recent fever in rediscovering old Scottish ties with Europe among Scottish historians can be interpreted as an attempt to discover and rewrite common experiences of Europeans in a way in which it may serve as a basis on which a European nation is formed.