Chapter 7 Social Change and Education versus Tradition
In: Scots Folk Singers and their SourcesSearch for other papers by Caroline Macafee in
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Abstract
This chapter continues the discussion of the tension between modernity and tradition, with particular reference to the North-East of Scotland and to the Travellers, both populations with a reputation for their rich song heritage. Within the general population, the 1840s and 1880s-1890s birth cohorts are identified as standing at inflection points in the decline of the folk singing culture. The difference between the general population and the Travellers is characterised in terms of the demographic transition undergone by the former but not (when recorded in the 1950s-1970s) the latter. The mutually antagonistic roles of education and the extended family in the demographic transition are discussed. The continuing importance of the extended family in the Traveller lifestyle is seen to be reflected in their reported patterns of song transmission.