Well, I'm an anthropologist who has been working with the Cornish since 1994. I did my PhD on Cornish nationalism (UCLA 1998) and have written about 30 articles on Cornwall. I was a Lecturer at the University of Exeter's Institute of Cornish Studies, a consultant for English Heritage on Cornish issues and am currently finishing a book on Cornish identity politics and economic development. And oh yeah, I know lots of Cornish people too.
Cornwall's legal standing within the UK is actually quite unusual, and very fascinating. If you think that history is "just history" then you probably don't understand many of the conflicts happening in the world today, and you probably don't know a lot about modern Cornwall. I don't think Cornwall will at any time in the near future, if ever, be administered as anything more than a County with the separate administrations afforded it as a Duchy. That does not deny the fact that the actual legal position of the territory is contested, confusing, and not as simple as you want to make it out to be. I'm sure you have some command of how this situation can occur given the complexities of British law.
Many English people today seem very threatened by the assertions of other people's very legitimate cultures and history with "those islands". I understand the many reasons why this is happening, but I still think it's not the most productive response.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2008-01-15 04:07 pm (UTC)Cornwall's legal standing within the UK is actually quite unusual, and very fascinating. If you think that history is "just history" then you probably don't understand many of the conflicts happening in the world today, and you probably don't know a lot about modern Cornwall. I don't think Cornwall will at any time in the near future, if ever, be administered as anything more than a County with the separate administrations afforded it as a Duchy. That does not deny the fact that the actual legal position of the territory is contested, confusing, and not as simple as you want to make it out to be. I'm sure you have some command of how this situation can occur given the complexities of British law.
Many English people today seem very threatened by the assertions of other people's very legitimate cultures and history with "those islands". I understand the many reasons why this is happening, but I still think it's not the most productive response.