LAUSR

various developments that have shaped the shifting ideological positions of the party as the leading player in the pro-independence movement on the electoral stage. While the aforementioned lack of attention to the historical roots of Scottish cultural and political nationalism may disappoint readers with personal or theoretical interests in the premodern era of Scottish society, I do not mean to suggest that Jackson is not cognizant of such debates. Indeed, academics who are well acquainted with some of the heated theoretical debates regarding nationalism will note Jackson’s references to the tensions between modernist and ethnosymbolist positions on the roots of Scottish nationalism. Jackson acknowledges this schism in chapter 3, “Britain in Decline,”where he explores the influence of TomNairn within the theoretical debates on Scottish nationalism. However, this is not a debate that Jackson engages with in any length, nor would it seem appropriate to do so—as interesting as this may have been for theoretical purists, it would have only detracted from the central crux of Jackson’s analysis. Instead, Jackson proceeds in the middle and later stages of the text to accessibly chart the various stages of ideological development within Scottish political nationalism, skillfully marrying in-depth discussions of key influencers on the nationalism movement with the chronological political events that often acted as the catalyst for evolution in the pro-independence movement. Furthermore, Jackson is careful to outline the relative merits of the contrasting ideological positions with a critical yet balanced tone, allowing the reader to make her or his own mind up on the clarity of the various schools of nationalist thought during this period. The closing sections of the book inevitably consider the nature of modern political nationalism in the periods immediately before and after the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. Jackson skillfully articulates the various ideological stances that influence the political debate during this momentous period of Scottish nationalist politics, not only placing emphasis on the role of the Scottish National Party but also contrasting advocates of Scottish independence during this period, such as the Radical Independence Campaign. It could be argued that Jackson could have offered more scrutiny of the ideological contributions of the smaller actors within the “Yes” campaign in the 2014 referendum, such as the Radical Independence Campaign and the Scottish Greens; furthermore, there is little to no reference to the significant ramifications of the 2016 “Brexit” referendum in reshaping the ideological and political context for the pro-independence movement in the post-2014 era. However, as alluded to above, such debates have been covered elsewhere, and attention to them would arguably dilute the analytical focus of the text. Indeed, as it stands, Jackson’s book offers an excellent contribution to the field on this topic at hand, and it is this well-delineated scope that underpins an engaging and welcome contribution for academics and a broader readership engaged in a tumultuous yet fascinating era for Scottish nationalist politics.