Neo-nationalism and the national identity in Scotland and in Catalonia [JOHN MacINNES] On May 6 1999 «the first Scottish parliament for 300 years» was elected. This represented a major development in British politics. It is tempting to see this event as a decisive stage in the development of Scottish «neo-nationalism», as the recovery of democracy in a «stateless-nation» and the transformation of its national identity from a cultural to an expressly political one. It is thus also tempting to make many comparisons with Catalonia.
In this article a brief historical summary of the development of Scottish national identity, «nation building» and the rise of nationalism in Scotland, is given, highlighting some of the comparisons and contrasts with Catalunya. It also offers some contemporary comparative empirical evidence on national identity in Scotland and Catalonia and finish with a few reflections, by way of a conclusion, on the character of neo-nationalism and national identity in these two nations.