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Translating Scottishness from the Homeland to the Diaspora: A consideration of Nova Scotia‘s ‘Scottish‘ architectural landscape
Conference paper   Open access   Peer reviewed

Translating Scottishness from the Homeland to the Diaspora: A consideration of Nova Scotia‘s ‘Scottish‘ architectural landscape

Amy Clarke
Proceedings of the 31st Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand Annual Conference, Vol.31, pp.39-49
Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand (SAHANZ) Annual Conference: Translation, 31st (Auckland, New Zealand, 02-Jul-2014–05-Jul-2014)
Unitec ePress
2014
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Abstract

Architecture Urban and Regional Planning diaspora Nova Scotia architectural landscape Scottish heritage
Nova Scotia is marketed as a region of Canada that cherishes its Scottish heritage. Settled in the seventeenth century by the Scots, French and later British, the province subsequently became a favoured destination for Scottish migrants in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. At the turn of the twentieth century large parts of Nova Scotia remained 'Scottish' in terms of population ethnicity and spoken language (Gaelic), and even recent census data indicates this trend continues, though somewhat diminished. 'Scottishness' is both a commodity and a past-time in Nova Scotia, attracting tourists and providing a point of reference for those that remain in the community year-round. This paper will consider the translation of architectural expressions of 'Scottishness' from Scotland to Nova Scotia. In particular this paper will describe two key processes that have been undertaken in order to locate 'Scottishness' in the province's built environment: the redefinition and identification of 'Scottish' architectural elements in otherwise non-Scottish historic buildings, and the appropriation of 'Scottish' architectural traditions with no historical precedent in Nova Scotia for modern constructions. This approach will demonstrate that Nova Scotia's architectural 'Scottishness' is a translation of cultural tropes and isolated architectural elements that have been redefined in the twentieth century in order to more closely align the built identity of the province with the performed identity. In addressing this phenomenon this paper will consider whether Scottishness can be translated and understood through architecture in the diaspora, or whether attempting to do so will only achieve new and divergent meanings.

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