An investigation to discover whether historical and cultural factors are more important to those who

1
An investigation to discover whether historical
and cultural factors are more important to those
who self define as Cornish nationalists compared
to other people living in Cornwall.
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Nationalism

• I attempted to pick out key features of
  nationalism and aspects that were particularly
  important to Cornish nationalists.
• There is no single definition of either and I did
  not seek to establish one. However, loose
  definitions were inherently necessary to the
  study.
• No attempt was made to establish causal
  relationships.
• Cultural and historical factors were taken from
  existing literature.

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Cultural and historical factors

• Be a member of an organisation which aims to
  study or preserve Cornwalls history.
• Be a member of an organisation which aims to
  study or preserve Cornwalls culture.
• Speak, or be learning to speak, Cornish.
• Fly a St Pirans flag on their clothing, car,
  house or anywhere else.
• Know how to make any Cornish food.
• Be a Methodist or religious non-conformist.
• Have a good knowledge of Cornish history.
• Believe that Cornwalls industrial heritage is an
  important part of its identity.

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Cultural and historical factors

• Believe that Cornwalls former status as an
  independent country is an important part of its
  identity.
• Believe that Cornwall should become an equal part
  of the United Kingdom alongside England,
  Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• Believe that Cornwall should break away from the
  United Kingdom and become an independent country.
• Identify as Cornish.
• Feel an attachment to the physical territory of
  Cornwall.
• Feel a sense of unity with other Cornish people.
• Have an attachment to Cornwalls folklore and
  traditions.
• Have a good knowledge of Cornish literature.
• Believe that the preservation of Cornish culture
  is important.

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Cultural and historical factors

• Believe that the Cornish language should be
  taught in Cornish schools.
• Believe that Cornish history should be taught in
  Cornish schools.
• Possess Cornish morals and values.
• Use Cornish dialect and mannerisms in everyday
  conversation.
• Support Cornish politicians against the
  Westminster elite.
• Wear Celtic jewellery.
• Take part in, listen to, or watch Cornish music
  or dance.

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Aims

• To discover whether historical and cultural
  factors are more important to those who self
  define as Cornish nationalists compared to other
  people living in Cornwall. (Questionnaire)
• To gain preliminary insight into the cultural and
  historical beliefs and attitudes of Cornish
  nationalists. (Interviews)

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Rationale

• Lack of academic research into Cornish
  nationalism.
• No attempt to uncover the truth about
  contributing factors was made. What mattered is
  not whether any of these things are real or
  imagined but the very real impact these factors
  have.

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Methodology and methods

• The population was Facebook members who
• had listed their location as Cornwall
• made their profile publicly viewable so that this
  information could be found
• were aged 16 or over.
• A random sample was not possible because of the
  way Facebook lists search results. It cannot
  therefore be statistically generalised to Cornish
  residents as a whole.

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Methodology and methods

• Average age for nationalists was 33.
• Average age for non-nationalists was 32.
• The questionnaire used Likert scales and closed
  questions designed to produce quantitative data.
  An open question also allowed participants to
  highlight additional issues which were then
  explored in the interviews where applicable.

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Methodology and methods

• Qualitative semi-structured interviews.
• More in-depth questioning on participants
  individual responses to the questionnaire as well
  as the wider patterns that emerged.
• Internet-based interviews
• Lose - Body language and tone of voice
• Gain - Honest discussions
• Avoid - prejudice over interviewer background

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Results

• Cornish nationalists are not statistically
  significantly more likely than non-nationalists
  to
• Wear any Celtic jewellery.
• Take part in, listen to, or watch Cornish music
  or dance.
• Identify as British.
• Non-nationalists are statistically significantly
  more likely than Cornish nationalists to
• Identify as English.
• In all other fields Cornish nationalists are
  statistically significantly more likely than
  non-nationalists to participate.

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Results

• Interviews
• Participants encouraged to talk about Cornwall,
  Cornishness and the things that mattered to them.
• Sustainability
• Although not the purpose of the study, the
  economic future of Cornwall was discussed with
  participants.
• Views seemingly dependent on political
  persuasion.

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Discussion points

• Apparent division between those who have become
  part of the Cornish movement centred on Mebyon
  Kernow and those external to it.
• Those most closely involved used the term civic
  nationalism.
• Others who are not part of Mebyon Kernow
  expressed similar views but used different words.

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Discussion points

• Clearest discourse was the importance of the
  physical place of Cornwall in the identity of
  participants.
• Contradicts the view that language is most
  important.
• Strong sense of cultural difference was mentioned
  by every participant.
• This appears to be inseparable from Cornwalls
  history which they view as having shaped
  Cornwalls identity and culture.
• Feeling of difference seems to be exacerbated by
  social and economic conditions such as low wages
  and the prevalence of second homes.

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Discussion points

• Participants linked social and economic issues to
  cultural and historical ones.
• The Cornish language was considered important in
  shaping Cornwalls culture and identity.
• 1497 and 1549 rebellions.
• Mining, fishing, food and Cornish folklore.
• Large variation between participants.
• Main disagreements are not fundamentally about
  culture and history but underlying political
  ideologies.

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Conclusions

• Cornish nationalists appear to view most cultural
  and historical factors as more important than
  non-nationalists.
• The cultural exceptions identified were wearing
  Celtic jewellery and listening to or partaking in
  Cornish music and dance.
• Cornish nationalists are no more likely to
  identify as British.
• Non-nationalists are significantly more likely to
  identify as English.

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Conclusions

• Interviews showed participants feel a deep and
  emotional connection with aspects of Cornwalls
  history, the physical territory of Cornwall, the
  Cornish language, the culture of difference,
  and the act of being Cornish as summarised in the
  discussion.

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Questions

• Thank you for listening.
• Any questions?