Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Political Economy of Scottish Gaelic Language Revitalization

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9974337Silverstein / McEwan-Fujita This project supports the dissertation research of an anthropology student from the University of Chicago studying the role of minority language revival in the development of a European region. Since the 1980s Gaelic has been undergoing a government funded renaissance, let by members of a Gaelic speaking urban middle class. There has been increased funding of Gaelic education and communication and a redefinition of Gaelic as a form of human capital. These claims have been accepted by the Scottish government, the British state and the European Union. The student will try to understand the role of this minority language in the economic development of the region through fieldwork with Gaelic language promoters and their constituents, Gaelic speakers in two sites in the Scottish highlands. Gaelic development agencies in Inverness will be studied as well as a crofting township on the island of Benbecula. In both sites the student will do participant observation and semi-structured interviews of how Gaelic functions to encourage, facilitate, and impede the economic development of the region. This research is important because managing the relation of local cultural minorities to the national state is one of the most challenging tasks faced by contemporary governments, from ethnic Albanians in Yugoslavia to Mayan Indians in Mexico. This case of a seemingly successful renaissance and adaptation will provide important material to be compared with other cases of development and conflict. In addition the project supports the training of a young social scientist, and advances our knowledge of this important area of the world.