This paper will examine the contemporary independence movement in Scotland in historical perspective. The paper will be structured around three inter-related themes. First, it will examine the evolution of the concept of independence articulated by the Scottish National Party, the main nationalist party, both in political discourse and in concrete policy goals. In so doing, it will consider the extent to which this evolution is shaped by the development of nation-states within the context of transnational inter-dependence, drawing upon the literature of small state interdependence in Europe. Second, it will consider the extent to which the limited self-government achieved in the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 marked a critical juncture in the development of the Scottish nationalist movement, and, conversely, examine the institutional continuities in political practice and, especially, in Scottish-UK relations that survived the transition to devolution. Finally, it will examine the prospectus for independence being developed within the current debate over Scotland's constitutional future in advance of the Scottish independence referendum through the lens of historical institutionalism. Would a radical increase in Scottish self government, even under an independence scenario, be likely to produce a rupture in Scotland's relationship with the rest of the UK? Or would institutional norms, expectations and practices, alongside the growing transnational interdependence, be more likely to facilitate continuities in Scottish-UK territorial politics? The paper will draw upon the preliminary findings of an ongoing research project on ‘embedded independence’, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
