Rethinking the revival and evolution of the Glengarry Scottish Highland Games: Antimodernism, commercialization, and cultural (re)production in rural eastern Ontario.

In 1784, after a prolonged and weary struggle to settle in North America, almost fifty families established a homogenous Scottish community in what is currently Glengarry County, Ontario. In 1840, the residents of Glengarry County established a Scottish Highland Games, but a lack of commitment and funding led to their discontinuation after only a few years. In 1948, following an absence of almost a century, the Glengarry Scottish Highland Games tradition was revived. This thesis examines the revival and evolution of the Glengarry Highland Games, including commercial, ideological, and cultural impacts. When rethinking the revival of the games in Glengarry, one cannot help but speculate why the summer of 1948 was chosen as the apposite date. An investigation, including archival resources, newspapers, and personal interviews, has illuminated several social developments that contributed to the revival. Glengarry residents celebrate the traditional dress, Celtic music, athletic pursuits, and history of the county by participating in the annual games and associating with the organizations that relentlessly maintain and perpetuate Scottish cultural traditions. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2004 .M37. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 43-05, page: 1607. Adviser: Scott Martyn. Thesis (M.H.K.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2004