2012/04/20 by Martin Johnes · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Scottish History and National Identity #Historical Studies of British Isles #Irish and British Studies
paper · doi:10.1080/13619462.2012.676911
openalex publication_date 2012/04/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Capital cities are never static entities and their status is often contested or the subject of resentment elsewhere. Any history of capitals should thus extend beyond considering the built environment that has dominated its historiography and root itself in an understanding of popular attitudes and local political processes. Only then can the reality and significance of being a capital be properly understood. Cardiff's claim, attainment and development as the Welsh capital city over the course of the mid-late twentieth century are clear illustrations of this. They demonstrate first the uncertainty and contested nature of Welsh identity and then the growing confidence that came to exist in Wales as the nation became a more meaningful administrative entity. That process might have reduced the dispute surrounding Cardiff's capital status but it did not always endear the capital to the rest of Wales.