Histories of the Scottish Atlantic – Serie

This collection offers new perspectives on the legacy of British colonisation by concentrating on Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island), a region that was pivotal to safeguarding Britain’s imperial ambitions, between 1750 and 1930. New and established researchers from Canada, Scotland and the United States engage with the core themes of migration, dispossession, religion, identity, and commemoration in a way that diverges markedly from existing scholarship. The research shines much-needed light on groups traditionally excluded from Britain’s broader imperial narrative, highlighting the indigenous experience and the presence and agency of slaves, free people of colour and religious minorities.

This volume offers fresh perspectives on the legacy of British colonisation in Atlantic Canada, a region that was pivotal in safeguarding Britain's imperial ambitions. Chapters in the collection engage with this legacy across three sections: Dispossession and Settlement; Religion and Identity; and Reappraising Memory. Showcasing research from both new and established scholars from Canada, the UK and the United States, the collection challenges the established historiography of the region and brings groups who have traditionally been excluded from Britain's broader imperial narrative into sharper focus. Key Features Situates the Scottish experience within the process of British colonisation, challenging the tendency to omit the Scots from critical explorations of the colonisation process in this region. Highlights the Indigenous experience, as well as the experience of the enslaved, free people of colour and religious minorities.

What are the main similarities between new cohorts of Gaelic speakers in Nova Scotia and Scotland, and what key differences distinguish them? In Scotland, public policy to support and maintain the language has increased substantially in the past 40 years. In addition to Scotland's 57,602 speakers, however, Gaelic has persisted in Nova Scotia since the 18th century and a third of Nova Scotians are descended from families who spoke the language historically. As a response to policymakers' language planning priorities in both polities and drawing on three years of ethnographic research in Scotland and Nova Scotia, this book presents a comparative analysis of new speaker motivations, identities and linguistic ideologies. An innovative approach to examining bilingual discourses is employed to demonstrate key distinctions and commonalities among new Gaelic speakers, with a view to informing future policy to generate greater numbers of proficient speakers on both sides of the Atlantic.

What are the main similarities between new cohorts of Gaelic speakers in Nova Scotia and Scotland, and what key differences distinguish them? In Scotland, public policy to support and maintain the language has increased substantially in the past 40 years. In addition to Scotland's 57,602 speakers, however, Gaelic has persisted in Nova Scotia since the 18th century and a third of Nova Scotians are descended from families who spoke the language historically. As a response to policymakers' language planning priorities in both polities and drawing on three years of ethnographic research in Scotland and Nova Scotia, this book presents a comparative analysis of new speaker motivations, identities and linguistic ideologies. An innovative approach to examining bilingual discourses is employed to demonstrate key distinctions and commonalities among new Gaelic speakers, with a view to informing future policy to generate greater numbers of proficient speakers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Transatlantic Threads shows how studying the making, use and meaning of a relatively low-cost, utilitarian cloth like linen, broadens our understanding of eighteenth-century Scotland and the wider Atlantic world. Different types of linen cloth were used across society everyday: from fine shirts worn by the rich, to coarse aprons worn by labourers; from expensive bed sheets, to canvas used for ships' sails. Eighteenth-century linen production was a Scottish economic success story, with thousands of people working to produce millions of yards of yarn and woven cloth. It was also how Scots became inextricably linked with transatlantic trade and the slavery economy, as the desire to capture the colonial market was a key driver for developing coarse linen production. Using a material commodity to explore everyday experiences of ordinary people, particularly women, non-elite and enslaved people, Transatlantic Threads examines the cultural and social significance of linen in Scottish and transatlantic society.

Transatlantic Threads shows how studying the making, use and meaning of a relatively low-cost, utilitarian cloth like linen, broadens our understanding of eighteenth-century Scotland and the wider Atlantic world. Different types of linen cloth were used across society everyday: from fine shirts worn by the rich, to coarse aprons worn by labourers; from expensive bed sheets, to canvas used for ships’ sails. Eighteenth-century linen production was a Scottish economic success story, with thousands of people working to produce millions of yards of yarn and woven cloth. It was also how Scots became inextricably linked with transatlantic trade and the slavery economy, as the desire to capture the colonial market was a key driver for developing coarse linen production. Using a material commodity to explore everyday experiences of ordinary people, particularly women, non-elite and enslaved people, Transatlantic Threads examines the cultural and social significance of linen in Scottish and transatlantic society.

Reveals the importance of social networks and identities to defining Highland Scots' engagements with Empire and its lasting legaciesA central, reliable and readable reference point for study of a topic that will interest a wide range of scholars and the reading public internationallyIndividual chapters that will suit individual specialisms, while still being accessible to readers from other disciplines/professionsInnovative and topical commentaries which are highly readable, provocative and agenda-settingImportant (re)considerations of neglected and/or understudied perspectives and areas of scholarship, presenting new histories of understudied social groups or situations and new insight on social networks and entanglements as a key aspect of EmpireInterdisciplinary editorial team with track record of delivering edited volumesInternational material to allow comparison and contextualisation and broaden readershipsThis is a book about the social in Highland entanglements with Empire the networks, relationships and identities that made it possible for Highland Scots to access the Empire and its benefits. It explores from a range of perspectives the impact that these Scots had, as sojourners and settlers, on the different places they encountered. It is also a book about the present-day legacies of their engagements with Empire, and of the ongoing process of forging social and cultural identities with Highland roots. The volume presents rigorous and insightful new research from both well-established and early career scholars, accompanied by commentary on the research and the issues it raises from a range of academic and non-academic voices. The book represents a significant contribution our understanding of the role of Highland Scots, influenced significantly by their culture and language, in creating the Empire and its legacies. It advances knowledge of just how diverse the impacts of Highland Scots were on forging landscapes and lifescapes across the Atlantic, and how their exposure to the colonial world influenced and reshaped their Diasporic identities. While the British Empire was a collaboration of diverse interests, this book will shed light on one important interest: the Highland one.