Pan-Celticism as a Form of Cultural Cooperation of Celtic Peoples in Second Half of 19th - Early 20th Centuries

Abstract

The article deals with the formation and development of pan-Celticism as a movement for solidarity and cooperation of the Celtic peoples in the revival of their languages and culture, as well as a means of struggle for autonomy in the regions of the British periphery. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the Celtic Association and the Celtic Congress activities, as well as the ideological component of these organizations. The novelty of the study is seen in the fact that the author, for the first time in Russian historiography, turned to the problem of pannational movements as a possible form of preserving, maintaining and popularizing the culture and language of small peoples. It is concluded that pan-Celticism at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries had both a political and a cultural dimension. However, as a result of the reaction of the British government that followed the Easter Rising of 1916, the Pan-Celists were temporarily forced to abandon their political goals. The growth of self-awareness of the Celtic peoples, the independence of Ireland in 1922 and autonomy by Wales and Scotland in 1997, as well as the surge of unprecedented interest in the Celtic heritage in the world in the last decade of the 20th century can be considered as a result of almost a century of activity of pan-Celtic organizations.