"Heimat & Herrschaft” revisited: Heritage Futures and the Case of Scottish Independence

The dialectic of "Heimat" and "Herrschaft" has been postulated as the driving force behind regional development and the evolution of heritage (Kockel 1988). This paper takes the model a step further and considers its application in a contemporary politico-anthropological context. Rather than taking the two forces as confrontational, as originally postulated, their co-creative potential is assessed with particular reference to the current debate on Scottish independence. In an allegedly post-nationalist Europe, the rise of micro-nationalisms has been much commented on. Where a putative nation such as Scotland finds itself at the crossroads of nation-statehood, the spectre of alternative / conflicting potential heritages arises. The paper looks at how the protagonists in the debate, seeing themselves as opponents, actually collaborate in co-creating heritage futures that can confuse and disorientate the electorate, to the point where either side votes contrary to its own best interest.