Sport and Active Lifestyles Promotion (BASA)

Globalisation, Culture and Lifestyle

Assignment 2 Case Study – Highland Games

Module Leader: Jenny Flynn

Date: 14/12/2011

Word Count: 2651 (Minus Referencing) Introduction

Cultural identity and heritage are two relatively new aspects that are transforming the world of tourism as the commercial capitalist giants are able to put their own postmodern spin on them in order to generate economic benefits to local areas. The following case study aims to explore this notion of postmodern tourism in the form of the small cultural form: Highland Games, which would be categorised under the title “Heritage Tourism” (Ureirly, 1997: 983). Heritage tourism essentially exploits an individual’s nostalgia to their past or homeland, for example the large “Scottish Diaspora” that is spread across North America and the British Commonwealth that would love to return home and indulge in their past (Basu, 2005: 132).

Miles (2001) expresses his views on the fact that in this ever modernising world, local elements are becoming global. The Highland Games are a perfect example of this local Scottish culture following the migrating masses all over the globe, for example North America, in particular the United States, is a specific stronghold where the games are played. The following case study aims to analyse the impacts that globalisation is having on the Highland Games and their development.

Work previously done by Horne and Manzenreiter (2006) emphasises the countless benefits sport tourism events can have to an area and its economy; however this work, along with many others, focuses on large-scale sporting events like the Olympics. Little attention has been paid by researchers to small-scale event sport tourism that the Highland Games are classified under. This case study finally aims to tackle this relatively unexplored frontier and establish the impact of the Highland Games.

As stated the main themes which shall be explored throughout this case study of the Highland Games are cultural identity and heritage, globalisation and the impact which they have on the local areas and cultural form.

Highland Games – Background

Prior to going into an in-depth analysis of the Highland Games in the current modern world, one should get a fundamental understanding of where the games originated and what they actually involve. The Highland Games are surrounded by fascinating tales about kings, warriors and heroic battles which has made it hard for researchers to place an accurate date on when they actually began, but from what records show it seems that the early beginnings of the Highland Games surfaced at some point during the 11th century, which consisted of six heavyweight events

2 (McLennan and McLennan, 1990). Although findings show a rustic version of the games in the 11 th century, the Ceres Games in Fife, Scotland have the prestige of claiming to have the oldest established games, dating back to 1314, and still runs annually today (Donaldson, 1986) (The Ceres Games, 2011). The games have came a long way since these early findings as they now host more modern events like athletics competitions in order to appeal to the masses and increase their popularity (The Scottish Highland Games Association, 2011). However the history and the original heavyweight events are still the main attraction which attracts tourists from all over the globe (Donaldson, 1986). As stated by McLennan and McLennan (1990) the Highland Games originally consisted of six heavyweight events, which were: Stone Throw, Weight Throw, Scottish Hammer, Weight for Height, Sheaf and the Caber Toss. All athletes taking part in the modern day events still must wear traditional dress to create that feeling of authenticity, which for the men consists of wearing kilts (McLennan and McLennan, 1990).

The simple description above is the reason why people will travel from far and wide to participate in the Highland Games, either as a competitor or a fan, as the traditional games scream heritage which would be like a moth to flame scenario as people who consider their cultural identity to be Scottish, especially if they are affiliated with the highlands, find it to be irresistible (Chhabra, 2004). The next section of the study will explore this cultural identity for the Scottish Diaspora in the postmodern heritage tourism industry.

Scottish Diaspora – Postmodern Heritage

Cultural identity isn’t as simple as stating your nationality, in fact there is a far greater complexity involved due to the cultural dynamics that shape the modern world. There are vital social-structural periods in history which has aided the true complexity of the term cultural identity, which is in reference to a large exodus of people from one place to another (Cote, 1996). One of the greatest migrations in human history took place between 1760 and 1860 when millions of people from the British Isles migrated and left their homeland (Bumsted, 1981). Records show that Scots were originally the least to emigrate overseas but eventually became a strong colonising force and a significant statistic to this study states that it was “mainly Highlander” emigrants that left for British North America and the United States (Bumsted, 1981: 65). Identity is becoming ever more problematic for an individual to define as you would have to peel layer upon layer of heritage which has accumulated over several decades (Harris, 2005). This idea of complex identities will produce complex descriptions which is emphasised through a study by Basu (2007). Within this study 244

3 individuals from North America that claimed to have Scottish heritage were interviewed and questioned on their identity, which produced stunning results. Almost half the people taking part in the study gave a complex answer to their foundations ranging from the simple “Scottish-American” to the confusing “American Scotch-Irish with Highlander roots” (Basu, 2007, 41). Many of the participants expressed a strong emotional connection with Scotland and many of the older participants had even travelled to visit what they call their homeland. Some people may see this as tourism, but for the individual, personally they dislike being labelled as a tourist due to the fact it takes away their identity, as one Canadian resident described visiting Scotland as a “homecoming” and that “Scotland invites me home, to be me” (Basu, 2005: 133). This is what events like the Highland Games provides to the Scottish Diaspora, especially Highlanders, the chance to come home and gain their cultural and national identity, for which they sought (Edensor, 2002).

However the people who have these emotional ties to Scotland and the Highland Games are blinded by the fact that this heritage is actually a new phenomena used tactically by the postmodern tourism industry (Jolliffe and Smith, 2001). Heritage is not itself a modern term, as McCrone et al (1995) explains that it is the concept which is new, as there is now a push to exploit the economic benefits it can create in relation to tourism; this has lead to the introduction of “heritage tourism” (Ureirly, 1997: 983). The tourism industry is an economic gold mine that can generate extraordinary revenues for a country or local event, hence why the Highland Games is now surrounded by the label ‘heritage’. Information provided on the Scottish Diaspora earlier on in the study demonstrates that there is a plentiful global market out there which the Highland Games can take advantage of and this is reinforced by the Tourism Trends Quarterly (2011). It was recorded in 2010 that 22.9 million visitors came to the United Kingdom and during their time spent a total £16.67 billion (Tourism Trends Quarterly, 2011). So how can the Highland Games attract a relevant proportion of this large market? The main thing that has created this explosion of heritage interest, on a global scale, is because of a simple postmodern commodity: authenticity (Hertzman et al, 2008). Authenticity is the realness of a situation, for example the main reason people will travel to participate in the Highland Games is because they want to be immersed in the full experience, which will consist of an array of Scottish cultural extremities like kilts, castles and bagpipes (Hertzman et al, 2008). However Giulianotti (2005: 184) believes this is just a postmodern tourism frontal image to “seduce” people into believing what they are seeing is real, when in fact it is just a reinvention of the past. Urry (1990: 107) backs this point up well by stating that this authenticity is simply to “cater” the tourists needs for their heritage quest.

4 Another aspect of heritage tourism, in reference to postmodernism, is the change from turning local culture into global events, for example putting events like the Highland Games on the map by attracting people from all over the world that can relate to Scottish heritage (Rojek, 2005). In order to get global tourism to work and target the Scottish Diaspora that inhabits the globe, events like the Highland Games needs to use the power of media to prove their worth. Ureirly (1997: 983) describes this process as creating a “pseudo-event”, meaning that the main purpose of the event is for propaganda reasons to attract tourists which can come in the form of a website, pictures and even television. Following on from this simple description of the relationship between postmodern tourism and globalisation, the case study will now critically analyse the progress the Highland Games and their own form of globalisation.

Globalisation and the Highland Games

Prior to analysing the Highland Games and their own process of globalisation is essential for one to get an understanding of the term itself. Scholte (2005) states that globalisation is one of the hardest terms to try and find an accurate definition for. However the main definition centres around the idea of the world acting as one, and in relation to this study of the Highland Games “‘the dissolving of international borders’ and allowing for ideas, cultures and communications to be all intertwined (Buckley and Ghauri,2004: 82).

The Highland Games were able to plant a global structural foundation when those late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Scottish-Highlanders decided to migrate across the globe. When these Highlanders emigrated to Australasia and North America they subconsciously took their national and cultural identity along with them (Richards, 2001). A study conducted by McCarthy (2006) on Scottish national identity across the globe emphasises this idea of taking a culture with you when migrating. When Scottish emigrants were questioned on their early global move they suggested that people initially felt lost without homeland comforts, which sparked an introduction of culture clubs to be able to express themselves, as one participant stated: “the place wasn’t a place without a pipe band” (McCarthy, 2006: 201). This study states that “Scottishness” is potent in certain areas of the world, for example in North America as they are still proud of their roots, and it is not uncommon to see Scottish national emblems like tartan, kilts and Highland Games amongst a very foreign scenery (McCarthy, 2006: 204). North America is an area that has been repeatedly reinforced throughout this study, due to the fact that there is such a strong Scottish link in the United States and Canada (Chhabra et al, 2003). Scottish cultures, especially the Highland Games, are so popular today that in

5 these countries the majority of states in America and every province, including the three territories, in Canada hold several events a year (Clan Scott Society, 2006). From this evidence it seems that the Highland Games have experienced their own process of globalisation due to strong Scottish cultural roots embedded in the descents of the early migrants. Amazingly the Highland Games in North America has held on to its traditional heritage and not become another victim of cultural imperialism, meaning that the games are still very much Scottish and have not become “Americanised” (Steger, 2003: 71).

Sporting events in today’s society are at the mercy of Western capitalism, which has seen more and more events being reconstructed and updated to entertain the masses. Steger (2003: 234) discusses the process of “glocalisation” which comments on the fact that different cultures will inevitably put their own spin on an event to increase its popularity and be able to create effective sports tourism. However, Highland Games have stuck to their roots, a lot like the individuals who celebrate it, due to the fact that their heritage is the fundamental key to their national identity, something that is of grave importance to people. With this strong following across the globe the final section of this study shall explore the impact a small, rural event can have on an area and the community.

Impacts of Small Events

As stated, the majority of research that has analysed the impacts of sport tourism events have been based on what Gibson et al (2003: 182) describes as “hallmark” events, which is in reference to major events that have a lucrative international status, like the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup. These mega-events come around every few years and usually have a high ratio of providing beneficial factors to a host city or nation, as they have the ability to attract a large number of people to one area at the one time, plus these effects can be long lasting due to the fact that tourists will return if pleased (Lamont and Dowell, 2008). However with the increase in heritage tourism around the world, small regional communities have adapted in order to cope with the increasing external economic pressures from the Western civilisation and turned their own local events into an international success (Lamont and Dowell, 2008). This is the same process in which the Highland Games have now taken as they have also jumped on the bandwagon to be able to reap the benefits which the tourism can bring to a community and is now a spectacular cultural event that is able to attract the sports tourist from every corner of the globe (Alves et al, 2010).

Large-scale events have proven to have the ability to attract people from all over the world, although on a different scale, studies have shown that regional community events have that pull

6 factor which is still able to attract a significant number of tourists and their families to an event like the Highland Games (Lamont and Dowell, 2008). The success of the Highland Games will be able to bring a series of benefits to the local community that is hosting the event, such as improved infrastructure, greater employment opportunities, improved international profile and an improvement on the local environment (Gibson et al, 2003). Alves et al (2010) states that he believes that above all these benefits the two most important impacts that tourism can bring to a local community is the social and economic ones, as he believes that these two are essential for a community to become prosper and grow. When discussing the economic benefits the Highland Games can bring to a local community, one must take into the context (today’s recession) and the fact that economic wealth is never guaranteed. A study by Chhabra et al (2003) on two small Highland Games hosted in the state of North Carolina, The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games (GMHG) and the Flora Macdonald Highland Games (FMHG), produced excellent economic results on spending profiles whilst tourists participated. Similar results were produced from both Highland Games even though the GMHG was a four day events and the FMHG was a one day event. Due to the fact that the GMHG was a multi-day event the majority of expenditures went to lodging (43%), but bar that food, beverages and Scottish memorabilia were the big money makers at the two events. At the GMHG tourists spent $200,000 on Scottish goods and at the FMHG (a one day event) the tourists spent a massive $30,000 on goods (Chhabra et al, 2003). A study by Alves et al (2010) on the communities themselves showed that they personally felt the social impacts outweighed the economic ones as they believe that small events enable communities to come together and to gain a sense of pride. The information provided is just a small snippet into the true benefits the highland game can bring to any community, but they vitally show that there are positive impacts that can come from the games.

Conclusion

This case study on the cultural form, Highland Games, has produced a series complex arguments on cultural identity, globalisation and event impacts. For the large Scottish Diaspora spread across the globe, actively participating in their heritage is an important aspect in their lives and the Highland Games provides the perfect platform to do so. These tourists will travel great distances to be smothered in images of kilts, bagpipes and strong warriors in order to feel a sense of identity. Sadly, these tourists are being immersed into something that is false and was created by the postmodern tourism industry. The Highland Games now come under an ever growing list of heritage tourism events, which is become a successful business idea due to one simple commodity: authenticity.

7 These events are essentially just a recreation of the past in order for small communities to tap into the rich tourism industry. The Highland Games have the ability to attract a significant amount of tourists, both national and international, which can bring a variety of benefits to a local area.

8 References

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