At the start of the1700s the life of Scottish clansmen was settled compared to the past. This book describes how Clan families lived simple lives in primitive homes. The Battle of Culloden in 1746 changed Scotland forever. Clansmen were now subject to English justice, prohibited from wearing traditional clothing and carrying weapons. Clan chiefs morphed into hard-nosed landlords and ordinary clansmen faced a different and difficult future, with challenges never experienced by their forefathers. Land reform and the introduction of sheep displaced Gaelic Scots, who had to either live elsewhere, become crofters or emigrate. The development of crofting communities dependant on growing potatoes, and the lives of the people who lived in them, is an essential part of this book. While focused on Mull and Iona, it is a fascinating story about the hardship that tenants experienced throughout Scotland. Disease that decimated potato crops in 1846, caused famine, starvation and great poverty. People lost their livelihoods and were evicted from their homes. Evictions, starvation and government policy led to an upsurge in emigration. Until economic conditions improved during the Crimean War, emigration played a key role in the salvation of a starving population.

Given by Eugene Edge III.

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Can Scotland be considered an English colony? Is its experience and literature comparable to that of overseas postcolonial countries? Or are such comparisons no more than patriotic victimology to mask Scottish complicity in the British Empire and justify nationalism? These questions have been heatedly debated in recent years, especially in the run-up to the 2014 referendum on independence, and remain topical amid continuing campaigns for more autonomy and calls for a post-Brexit “indyref2.” Gaelic Scotland in the Colonial Imagination offers a general introduction to the emerging field of postcolonial Scottish studies, assessing both its potential and limitations in order to promote further interdisciplinary dialogue. Accessible to readers from various backgrounds, the book combines overviews of theoretical, social, and cultural contexts with detailed case studies of literary and nonliterary texts. The main focus is on internal divisions between the anglophone Lowlands and traditionally Gaelic Highlands, which also play a crucial role in Scottish–English relations. Silke Stroh shows how the image of Scotland’s Gaelic margins changed under the influence of two simultaneous developments: the emergence of the modern nation-state and the rise of overseas colonialism.