The new Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies at Edinburgh University opened this week, aiming to investigate the impact made by thousands of Scottish emigrants from medieval times to the present day. The centre was established thanks to a donation of £1 million by Alan McFarlane, managing director of investment management firm Walter Scott and Partners and a former student at the university. Professor Tom Devine, the Scottish historian, will head the new centre which will research how Scots influenced societies, economies, and cultures around the world - not just the New Worlds of Australia, New Zealand and North America, but also in Asia and in countries such as Sweden, Poland, and France. From the 1850s to the Second World War, Scotland was one of the top three nations in Europe in terms of emigration. Because Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries had a disproportionate number of semi-skilled, skilled, and professional emigrants, they tended to have a disproportionate impact on their countries of settlement.
Source: Rampant Scotland: www.RampantScotland.com/
For further discussion about the controversy surrounding the new centre, go to
www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/nov/25/centre-study-scottish-diaspora-controversy
Source: webmaster
