Emigration from Scotland has always been very high. However, emigration from Scotland between the wars surpassed all records; more people emigrated than were born, leading to an overall population decline. Why was it so many people left? Marjory Harper, whose knowledge is grounded in a deep understanding of the local records, maps out the many factors which worked together to cause this massive diaspora. After an opening section where the author sets the Scottish experience within the context of the rest of the British Isles, the book then divides the country geographically, starting with the Highlands, then coastal Scotland, and the urban Lowland highlighting in turn the factors that particularly influenced each of these areas. Harper then discusses the organised religious and political movements that encouraged emigration. By interweaving personal stories with statistical evidence Harper brings to life the reality behind the dramatic historical migration.

Scotland's Populations is a coherent and comprehensive description and analysis of the most recent 170 years of Scottish population history. With its coverage of both national and local themes, set in the context of changes in Scottish economy and society, this study is an essential and definitive source for anyone teaching or writing on modern Scottish history, sociology, or geography. Michael Anderson explores subjects such as population growth and decline, rural settlement and depopulation, and migration and emigration. It sets current and recent population changes in their long-term context, exploring how the legacies of past demographic change have combined with a history of weak industrial investment, employment insecurity, deprivation, and poor living conditions to produce the population profiles and changes of Scotland today. While focussing on Scottish data, Anderson engages in a rigorous treatment of comparisons of Scotland with its neighbours in the British Isles and elsewhere in Europe, which ensures that this is more than a one-country study.

"This collection of essays represents a selection of the papers presented at the 1998 Migration conference at the Centre of Canadian Studies at the University of Edinburgh."--Acknowledgements.

An exploration of how immigration has shaped Canadian identity, and how modern debates are reshaping our national character. In this history of immigration to Canada, Valerie Knowles explores the kinds of immigrants who have settled in Canada as well as the immigration policies, policymakers, and public figures who have played a part in the story.

While the literature relating to Scottish contact with America has grown significantly in recent years, the influence of America on Scotland and its early modern history has been neglected in favour of a preoccupation with Scottish influence on the formation of North American national identities. Alexander Murdoch's fascinating new study explores Scottish interactions with North America in a desire to open up fresh perspectives on the subject. Scotland and America, c.1600-c.1800 - Surveys the key centuries of economic, migratory and cultural exchange, including Canada and the Caribbean - Discusses Scottish participation in the Atlantic slave trade and the debate over its abolition - Considers the Scottish experience of British unionism with respect to developing American traditions of unionism in the U.S. and Canada Incorporating the latest research, this is essential reading for anyone interested in the dynamic relationship between Scotland and America during a key period in history.