Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs Women in crofting in Shetland from the 1930s to the present day: a reciprocal relationship Thesis How to cite: Jack, Claire Anne Hamilton (2004). Women in crofting in Shetland from the 1930s to the present day: a reciprocal relationship. PhD thesis The Open University. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c 2003 The Author https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Version: Version of Record Link(s) to article on publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21954/ou.ro.0000e81e Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk Women in crofting in Shetland from the 1930s to the present day: a reciprocal relationship Claire Anne Hamilton Jack A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Arts, Culture and Heritage UHI Millennium Institute 2003 l\\\'~~' \.A3QJ.4ol..~ .sW::>t-...~,~ ~ t"1 -f'Lbru4n_, J..o.:>~ --I\~ d~.~;;)3 M~n '---1001+- tAugust LUUlj THE OPEN UNIVERSITY The O~n University RESEARCH SCHOOL RESf:ARCH SCHOOL Research Degrees in Sponsoring Establis ments 2 0 JUL 2004 Library Authorisation Please return this form to the Research School, The Open University,W~arro~n~T<ailT"',~ll"T1'1~------­ Keynes, MK7 6AA with the two bound copies of the thesis to be deposited with the University Library. All candidates should complete parts one and two of the form. Part three only applies to PhD candidates. Part One: Candidate Details Name: .C~!(?¢. ... 4.-("!--:f.!i.?&(~T.9.N. .. 0:t~j( .......... PI: ... U.... ~ .. ??.~.. ~.?.<lS Degree: ..!?k!2. ............... Sponsoring Establishment: .~:!I.~~lf-~.-:1:"!.~~ .. .4.~/. (/.t/TC: Thesis title: ..~.M.~/f-!. .~~ ..c:kt?F.T._aur:. ... k. .. ~<f:r.~.8./)(',::? .. aq~... &'t[: .. !r..3~~ .. /?· ... !I(~.... /::/g.6$EJ:I!.-r. .... !.28.y... :.... d ...,f.~/:::(,c;O'~~( ... £.~L.:d!.7.Q~/.;;:-;!./?. Part Two: Open University Library Authorisation I confirm that I am willing for my thesis to be made available to readers by the Open University Library, and th,atitt-fnay, .. be photocopied, subject to the discretion of the Librarian. ~ ./ /.... if II . / ... '? ,1,/I;.e ./: i~" -, > . O~.::l '{;l3 SIgned. ~z. ....... Ct..~ ............... L.~ .clK.. ,.... ... .. ........ .. Date .........0. s.:: ................ r J t f Part Three: British Library 1~thorisation [PhD candidates only] If you want a copy of your PhD thesis to be available on loan to the British Library Thesis Service as and when it is requested, you must sign a British Library Doctoral Thesis Agreement Form. Please return it to the Research School with this form. The British Library will publicise the details of your thesis and may request a copy on loan from the University Library. Information on the presentation of the thesis is given in the Agreement Form. Please note the British Library have requested that theses should be printed on one side only to enable themJ~produce a clear microfilm. The Open University Library sends the fully bound copy of theses to the British Library. The University has agreed that your participation in the British Library Thesis Service should be voluntary. Please tick either (a) or (b) to indicate your intentions. -' I am willing for the Open University to loan the British Library a copy of my thesis. A signed Agreement Form is attached I do not wish th~ Open University to loan the British Library a copy of my thesis . D • _~ i ;' c, ......... /," ""'""} 1" " /./ .... f. (' I " • ~" /'! -) i~\) S'" >j.r J ,-L( A:lll' ,f."": 07,/;sk "\Lol1ec . .......·~r .. •....... "'.. , • ............. '.\.,. ............. v .. ,., ................... Date'c . ..... /.~/.................... 3 . L.. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without their prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. Abstract In this thesis, I explore the role of women in Shetland in crofting from the 1930s to the present day. I analyse the changing nature of women's participation in crofting in Shetland during this period, and the changing impact that crofting has had in structuring the identity of Shetland women. Explored against a backdrop of profound communication and technological developments, it is evident that whilst crofting continues to exert a significant influence on women's lives at the start of the new millennium, the meanings that women attach to 'crofting have shifted since the 1930s. At a conceptual level, it is evident that crofting is actively involved in the structuring of social relations. It is characterised by a high degree of fluidity, which allows women to define it in a variety of ways in relation to other aspects of their lives. However, the connotations associated with crofting are not limitless, and 'being a crofter' requires a appropriation of a particular set of values associated with 'tradition', 'family' and a 'crofting way of life'. I explore in detail the nature of Shetland women's croft work, and the ways in which they contextualze crofting in relation to other aspects of their lives. The ways in which gender relations are structured in relation to crofting constitutes a major theme. This analysis challenges several popular 'myths' about Shetland women and crofting, such as the fact that Shetland society 'of the past' is perceived to be more 'egalitarian' than mainland Scottish society. I also explore the role of 'myths' in influencing the ways in which individual women think, and talk, about their lives in crofting and show that, in many cases, popularised 'communal stories' of crofting are accorded a higher value by women in comparison to their own personal experiences of crofting which may fail to live up to the 'ideal' Crofting in Shetland is explored in the context of shifting policy developments since the 1930s, with a particular emphasis on recent policy directives. This thesis has an applied value as it provides an exploration of the ways in which younger women in Shetland respond to recent, and proposed future, policies. With specific reference to recent developments in crofting, including a focus on more inclusive rural development policies and a focus on diversificiation and environmentally friendly agriculture, I suggest that women in Shetland will potentially identify themselves more clearly as 'crofters', as the definition of 'crofter' changes, than they have done for much of the twentieth century. Acknowledgements Thanks to my supervisors, Professor John Bryden, Dr Simon Clarke, Dr Sharon Macdonald and Dr Gillian Munro for providing advice and support throughout the PhD. Gillian Munro has been an invaluable sounding board and has gone way beyond the call of duty in her supervisory capacity. Thankyou to Dr Lynn Abrams who has discussed various aspects of Shetland women's history with me. Brian Smith and Angus Johnson, archivist and assistant archivist respectively at Shetland Archives, assisted me greatly whilst I was conducting fieldwork in Shetland. lowe an immesurable debt to all the women who participated in my interviews. In an effort to preserve their identities, I will not name individuals, but would like to thank them collectively for giving up their time and providing me with considerable hospitality. Finally, thanks to the three people who have made this research project a more feasible and enjoyable experience than it otherwise might have been. My mother, Rhona Jack, who has provided an unwavering source of emotional and practical support from day one of the project, and to whom lowe my initial awareness of 'Shetland'. Josie Goudie, who was the best substitute 'granny' that my son, Duncan, could have had whilst in Shetland. By extension, her husband Robert Goudie, my mother's cousin, deserves a thankyou for sharing his dinner with Duncan many nights and for introducing him to tractors and quads. Lastly, thanks to my son, Duncan Jack, who was my constant little companion during fieldwork and who has made the last three years extremely enjoyable Contents Abstract Acknowledgements . Table of contents I . List of figures VI CHAPTERS 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Instigation for research 2 1.2.1 Instigation for research into 'The participation of women from the 1930s to the present day': aims and objectives 3 1.2.1.1 Instigation for research into crofting 4 1.2.1.2 Instigation for research into 'the 1930s to the present day' 34 1.2.1.3 Instigation for research into women and crofting 37 1.2.2 Personal instigation for research: aims and objectives 45 1.3 Shetland: context and impact 50 1.3.1 A constellation of islands 51 1.3.2 A peripheral location? 54 1.3.3 The sea 56 1.3.4 Landscape, climate, topography and the development of crofting in Shetland 60 1.3.5 Key sectors of the Shetland economy 63 1.3.6 Outside interaction: a local study 64 1.4 Guide to the thesis and 'making sense' of the whole 64 2 METHODOLOGY 67 2.1 Introduction 67 2.2 A qualitative approach 68 2.2.1 Circularity of analytical approach and grounded theory 69 2.2.2 Complexity and subjectivities: contextualisation versus statistical variables 74 2.2.3 The role of the researcher 79 2.2.4 Presentation 82 2.3 Feminist research issues 86 2.3.1 Exclusion, marginalization and sectionalization of women in research 86 2.3.2 Deconstruction and reconceptualization of "men' and 'women'