Reweaving the fringe: localism, tradition, and representation in British ethnography

Assertions of localist identity pervade modern British society. Most ethnographic accounts look at localism primarily from the inside, but this article argues that ideas about localism must also be regarded from the outside, as part of the marginalizing dynamics of the global division of labor and the experience of class. Localism has been variously represented as romantic, heroic, or backward. Such representations indicate the ongoing negotiation of identity and status within a context of gross inequality of power. [ localism, Scotland, community, identity, marginality ]