The Social and Political Thought of Saunders Lewis Emyr Williams

The Social and Political Thought of Saunders Lewis Emyr Williams

The Social and Political Thought of Saunders Lewis Emyr Williams A dissertation submitted at the School of European Studies, Cardiff University, in candidature for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Cardiff University. 1 UMI Number: U584622 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U584622 Published by ProQuest LLC 2013. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Abstract Located within the embryonic discipline of Welsh political thought, this thesis seeks to identify, explore and analyse the central ideas apparent in the political thought of John Saunders Lewis. It utilises key texts authored by Saunders Lewis with which to focus upon these ideas, and these texts and their inherent ideas form the basis of the earlier chapters. The thesis operates employing a ‘History of Ideas’ methodology. The introduction sections seek to locate the contemporary need for a study such as this, and also provide some background and context to Saunders Lewis’ political thought. Noting that political ideas are not monolithic and free-standing, ideas and thinkers that influenced Saunders Lewis are also identified and analysed before engaging with his authored texts directly. The latter chapters of this thesis seek to examine the ideas of Saunders Lewis that are relevant to the contemporary theory context. The thesis culminates with an analysis of Saunders Lewis’ nationalism employing contemporary nationalism analysis paradigms. A counter-critique of these paradigms is also performed employing Saunders Lewis’ nationalism. The central ideas of Saunders Lewis are examined, namely his political thought regarding Welsh history, nationhood, language, culture, state and their associated ideas. Whilst his ideas focus upon Wales and the Welsh societal and political experience, this thesis is also intended to be of use within the context of a wider investigation into nationalism, as well as to wider political theory. Despite the simplistic labelling of Saunders Lewis as a ‘radical conservative’, the analysis of his thought in this thesis reveals a far more complex thinker than this description would suggest, as he sought to combine an ideology of linguistic cultural preservation with a vision of national liberation. Contrary to Saunders Lewis’ definition of nationalism, this thesis employs as its investigative methodology the premise that nationalism is a fluid concept and phenomenon that interfaces and interacts with other left-right ideologies, thus enabling a critical overview of other nationalist positions in order to highlight and aid in the understanding of Saunders Lewis’ own concepts. 2 Declaration This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not concurrently submitted1 in in c candidature for any degree \J, Signed (candidate) Date. Statement 1 This thesis is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD. Signed candidate) Date... .T. Statement 2 This thesis in the result of my own independent work/investigation, except where otherwise stated. Other sourcesj^acknowledged by explicit references. Signed *ir.. Date. 2 / h . Statement 3 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. _ £ Signed ^ -------- _ (candidate) Date. 2 ~ / & Statement 4: Previously Approved Bar On Access I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library loans after expiry of a bar on access approved by the Graduate Development Committee. Signed (candidate) Date. 2 /6 o '? 3 Acknowledgements Firstly I would like to thank my parents for their gift of opportunity in life, and without whom I would have been unable to undertake this thesis. I thank my father, Brian Williams, for his financing of this thesis, and my mother, Anne Williams, for her patience and support. Secondly, I would like to thank Professor Bruce Haddock for his kind supervision. His knowledge of wider material proved invaluable. 4 Contents 1. Introduction Part I: Research Methodology and Theoretical Context 7 1.1. Methodology and Focus 7 1.2. Research Questions 15 1.3. Saunders Lewis in Theoretical Context 18 1.4. Contemporaiy Wales 22 1.5. Minority Nationalism and the Devolution Agenda 24 1.6. Theory and the Welsh Context 26 2. Introduction Part II: Saunders Lewis in Historical Context 32 2.1. Background and Upbringing 32 2.2. Nationalist Awakening 35 2.3. Inter-War Years 38 2.4. Post WWII Years 43 3. Intellectual Peers and Influences 47 3.1. T.S. Eliot 49 3.2. F.R. Leavis 60 3.3. T.E. Hulme 64 3.4. Distributism/ Guild Socialism 68 3.5. Jacques Maritain 75 3.6. Emrys ap Iwan 88 4. The Central Tenets: Principles o f Nationalism 98 4.1. Nation, Language, and Self-Government 98 4.2. A Retrospective and Appropriation of Welsh History 102 4.3. The Essential Characteristic 107 4.4. Summary 114 5. The Welsh Language: One Language for Wales 121 5.1. Language Rights and Political Theory 122 5.2. Language and Nationhood 125 5.3. Official Monolingualism 131 5.4. Criticism 139 5.5. Language and Political Nationalism 145 6. A Move Towards Individual Rights:Fate of the Language (1962) 151 6.1. A Change of Approach 151 6.2. A Historical Critique 156 6.3. Official Bilingualism 165 6.4. Political Legacy 173 7. A Social Vision for Wales: Canlyn Arthur (In the Footsteps of Arthur) 177 7.1. Political Economy 184 7.2. The Role of the State 189 7.3. The Organic Community 193 7.4. The Influence of Tomas Masaryk and the Czech example 201 7.5. Distributism, Guild Socialism andPerchentyaeth 205 7.6. Catholic Social Doctrine and Canlyn Arthur 212 5 8. Welsh Nationhood and British Law: The Caernarfon Court Speech 226 8.1. The Cultural Imperative 229 8.2. The Universal Law 234 9. A Neo-Medieval Europe: Aspects of Universalism and Particularity 241 9.1. State, Nation, and Sovereignty 244 9.2. Supranational Authority 249 9.3. Medieval Europe as a Political Ideal 252 9.4. The Nation (not State), as Moral Person 257 9.5. Normative Theory and Multi-Level Plural Governance 267 10. The Paradigms of Nationalism: An Analysis of Saunders Lewis’ Thought 275 10.1. Modernism 277 10.2. Primordialism 285 10.3. Perenialism 289 10.4. A Critique of the Modernist Paradigm 296 10.5. The Ethno-Symbolist Paradigm 300 11. Conclusion 310 Bibliography 317 Primary Source Material 317 Secondary Source Material 320 Wider Material 321 6 - 1- Introduction Part I: Research Methodology and Theoretical Context 1.1. Methodology and Focus. It is the intention of this thesis that the social and political thought of John Saunders Lewis be identified, analysed and presented to a wider political theory audience in a ‘history of ideas / political thought’ study format. In seeking to do so, Saunders Lewis’ political thought is considered in terms of a poltical theory terminology and conceptual framework, thus justifiying its value as an original study. Several of his ideas are deemed by the author to be of continuing relevance within the sphere of Welsh governance and wider normative theory. Hitherto, the vast majority of academic work and investigation has been conducted through the medium of Welsh, and has been focused on a primarily literary or biographical study of his work. A small amount of English-language academic study material exists on Plaid Cymru, and the Welsh nationalist movement in general. Some of these studies contain sections on the ideas that flow into its policies and that have shaped its key figures and thinkers, but none have dealt specifically with Saunders Lewis, or detailed his political thought extensively.1 On Saunders Lewis the individual, several excellent texts exist in the form of intellectual biographies, all of which deal with political elements, yet do not take his political thought as their sole interest.2 These biographies, whilst outlining his ideas well, are yet to appear in English and do not approach the subject matter from a ‘political theory’ or ‘history of ideas’ discipline. As a consequence they fail to deal with the deep political conceptual content contained therein. Other studies deal more explicitly with the ideas of Saunders Lewis, but it is from a cultural and literary theory angle. Yet again, Saunders Lewis’ expressly political thought is not the focus of these studies. The closest 1 Me Allister, Laura. (2001) Plaid Cymru: The Emergence of a Political Party. Bridgend. Seren. Davies, D. Hywel. (1983)The Welsh Nationalist Party 1925-45: A Call to Nationhood. Cardiff. Cardiff University Press. 2 Lloyd, D. Tecwyn.(\98&)John Saunders Lewis. Cyfrol 1.Denbigh. Gwasg Gee. Chapman, T. Robin. (2006) Un bywyd o blith nifer: cofiant Saunders Lewis. Llandysul. Gwasg Gomer. 3 Brooks, Simon. (2004) O Dan Lygaidy Gestapo: yr oleudigaeth a theori llenyddolyng Nghymru (Under the eyes of the Gestapo: the enlightenment and literary theory in Wales). Cardiff. University of Wales Press 7 study approaching what is attempted in this study is Richard Wyn Jones’ Rhoi Cymru’n Gyntaf: Syniadaeth Plaid Cymru. Cyfrol l 4 which appeared during the latter stages of the writing of this thesis. His excellent study investigates the ideas of several prominent figures and how these ideas have evolved during Plaid Cymru’s historical development.

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