Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
This book explores the many ways in which a military Scottish identity was reinvented and forged overseas amongst Scotland's diaspora from the late nineteenth century to the present day. It provides case studies from North America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Synopsis
This volume emerged from an international research colloquium jointly organised by National Museums Scotland and the Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies, University of Edinburgh, funded by the Scottish Government and administered by the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Historians and museum curators from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa were invited to join with their Scottish counterparts to consider the functioning, and the meaning, of 'military Scottishness' in different Commonwealth countries and in Britain from the late Victorian period to the present day, with a particular focus on the impact of the First World War. Another key objective was to throw light on the 'hidden' culture of social networking which potentially operated behind local regiments and military units amongst Scotland's global diaspora.
This edited collection provides a comparative overview of the nineteenth century emergence of military Scottishness and explores how the construction and performance of Scottish military identity has evolved in different Commonwealth countries over the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In particular, it looks at the ways in which Scottish volunteer regiments in Commonwealth countries variously sought to draw upon, align themselves with or, at certain key moments, redefine the assertions of martial identity which Highland regiments represented.
Synopsis
A comparative study of Scotland's global military diaspora, focusing on the impact of the Great War
Between the 1820s and 1914 over two million people emigrated from Scotland, settling primarily in North America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. One of the most distinctive ways in which the influence of the Scottish diaspora overseas expressed itself was the formation of military units which identified with Scotland.
This volume provides a comparative overview of the nineteenth century emergence of military Scottishness and explores how the construction and performance of Scottish military identity has evolved in different Commonwealth countries over the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In particular, it looks at the ways in which Scottish volunteer regiments variously sought to draw upon, align themselves with or, at certain key moments, redefine the assertions of martial identity which Highland regiments represented.
Key Features
- Develops a critical understanding of the complex connections between Scotland and its diasporic communities, addressing wider questions of ethnicity, identity and national belonging
- Provides five conceptual case studies of how Scottish diaspora in different parts of the Commonwealth embraced or rejected Scottish military culture in forging their identities: England; North America; South Africa; Australia & New Zealand
- Weaves the story of Scotland's global diaspora through the emergent national narratives of Commonwealth nations
- Looks at the operation of 'military Scottishness' in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries