The Legitimation of Ethnicity: The Case of the C ornish

Abstract

Abstract In this article we examine the complex processes involved in small‐scale ethnicity emergence and legitimation, and highlight the multi‐dimensional elements present in moving from a strong regional identity to an externally legitimate ethnic group. We useCornwall as a case study: administered as anEnglish county, there has been a historic ethno‐cultural movement for recognition alongside recent inclusion in national statistics; however, legitimation by external elites has been problematic. The first sections outline theCornish as a group; we argue that however one conceptualises ‘ethnicity’, the people ofCornwall must constitute such a group. We examine the dichotomous effects of the interplay between strong regional assertion and aCornish ethnicity more formally. In the latter sections we apply these arguments to broader sociological discussions around the legitimation of particular groups, and show that theCornish are indicative of the wider theoretical literature. In conclusion, we assert that theCornish are representative of the push/pull mechanisms felt acutely in any core/periphery power relations, and should be seen as central to emerging small‐scale ethnic groups more generally.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 11 citations exist upstream.

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.