Meanings of Cornishness: A Study of Contemporary Cornish Identity. (1st May 2010)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dickinson, Robert
• Is Part Of: Cornish studies. Volume 18:Number 1(2010)
• Page Start: 70
• Page End: 100
• Publication Date: 2010-05-01
• DOI: 10.1386/corn.18.1.70_1
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2053-9363

Abstract

Elucidation of the Cornish identity is a key task of the Cornish Studies project. However, while important progress has been made in theorizing Cornish identity formation, empirical research on the contemporary identity has been scarce and 'the ways in which the sense of difference is manifested in individuals remains under-researched'. This article reports on a study designed to address this gap in the literature. It seeks to answer the following central question: What does it mean to be Cornish today? In other words, how do ordinary Cornish men and women describe their own sense of Cornishness in the early twenty-first century? In light of research suggesting west-east distance decay in the strength of the Cornish identity, the study also addresses the following subsidiary question: Do people in East Cornwall describe their sense of Cornishness differently from people in West Cornwall? The Cornish identity is a complex phenomenon, which is experienced by individuals in different ways. This article explores, in particular, how people in Cornwall structure what Bernard Deacon describes as 'the hybridity of its contemporary identity', which arises from the region being seen as Celtic nation by some and English county by others. It will be argued that the Cornish collective identity is constructed and maintained through a set of core social representations in a way that allows these two representations of Cornishness to be reconciled and group cohesion to be maintained.