Invented Traditions

The Invention of Tradition's main theme is the use of invented traditions throughout primarily British history. An invented tradition is a tradition, distinct from a mere practice or custom, that has historical meaning but is thought to be based on a history that is largely fictitious. Invented traditions are also invented or generated by a group of individuals of social groups. Examples include the Scottish kilt, which the Scots believe is a millennium old but in fact was invented as a national symbol only several centuries before the present one. Another example is the British royal ceremonial, thought to be a thousand years old, which has changed and fluctuated dramatically in response to social needs throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Traditions are invented for two primary reasons. They are to promote the dominance of one social class over others and to produce social cohesion undermined by...