The price of belonging: Rural heritage in a changing world

Frank Rennie writes about why preserving local rural heritage and culture matters in a globalised world.

It appears to be a paradox that as the world becomes more ‘globalised’ in societal attitudes, the more people are seeking to express and enhance the unique aspects of their own cultural heritage and local identity. This is made apparent in the promotion of regional cuisine, the rejuvenation of traditional music and craft skills, and the search for economic opportunities to interpret everything from history, archaeology, nature, or the adventure activities based upon local resources. Unfortunately these opportunities are accompanied by challenges and threats.

Authenticity vs exploitation

One of the key tensions relates to how the local attributes can be commercialised for the benefit of local communities without superficial lip-service becoming a parody, or which may be worse, creating new forms of regional disadvantage or external exploitation. Increasing visitor numbers, for example, not only pressurise basic services, but they also create new problems such as overcrowding of streets and hotspot attractions, higher accommodation prices, and the development of ‘market-led’ products rather than authentic experiences that are not mass-produced. Scotland is rich in both regional variation and in a long legacy of folk culture based upon local historical evidence. The double-challenge of encouraging population growth with a healthy demography while retaining the distinctive cultural roots of the area is often difficult to balance. Newcomers bring new ideas – not all of them good, not all of them bad. Frequently the attempts to manage local enhancement have been frustrated by attempts to apply urban solutions to rural problems, and by well-intentioned policies that fail to follow-through to convert aspirations into reality.

When rural and island voices go unheard

Part of the problem seems to be that key decisions are often taken at a level far removed from the local community, both geographically and ideologically. Too much of the language of ‘development’ is, intentionally or not, pejorative of rural areas, while positioning ‘the city’ as the land of opportunity. This is despite the potential benefits of increasing out-sourcing and the decentralisation of labour – as was apparent during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result there is often talk about ‘investment’ in inner cities or motorways, but ‘subsidy’ for rural businesses and services. Some talk about ‘rewilding’ of the countryside without reference to the historical eviction of rural communities to create that open land, ignoring the fact that biodiversity was often greater when there was a more populous and economically diverse countryside. The heritage of family farming, or crofting, is very different from corporate agriculture.

Obviously, most of these issues are not simply black-or-white, they are nuanced, regionally varied, and inter-disciplinary, but all too often the attempts to ‘improve’ rural development has been approached from different management silos that appear barely to recognise the existence of the others. In some areas, the growth of holiday home ownership threatens the year-round stability of the community. Not only are house prices beyond the reach of young families, but the blunt instrument of increasing the Council Tax to help pay for local resources may encourage the owner to sell, but the renovated house is further outwith the local affordability. New businesses frequently struggle to find accommodation for their workforce, restricting expansion and reducing opportunities for the workforce, who may ultimately decide to relocate – not because they dislike the work or the rural environs, but simply to get decent family housing.

Why cultural identity matters

Why does local identity or cultural heritage matter? Simply for similar reasons for our need for biodiversity in the natural environment. Our society, locally, nationally, globally, is enriched by a rich variety of customs, practices, foods, stories, and attitudes. In the race for homogeneity in urban centres, it makes good sense to nourish the diversity of regional identities.

Professor Frank Rennie, Professor Emeritus of Sustainable Rural Development, The UHI Environment Research Institute.

This article originally appeared in ReSourcE spring/summer 2025.

The RSE’s blog series offers personal views on a variety of issues. These views are not those of the RSE and are intended to offer different perspectives on a range of current issues.