Author Description

This book charts the transformation of Gaelic society from the aftermath of Culloden to the Crofters' Act. In a well-paced chronological narrative with thematic excursions Sheila Kidd draws together her own and others' research to describe and explain the political and social processes that underpin this period of great social change. Themes which underpin the volume include: (1) the clearances and land rights; (2) language, education and identity; (3) improved communications and the increasing mobility of population; (4) religion, the Churches and the influence of the clergy; (5) the new communities of urban Gaels and their influence in the debate on land rights and Gaelic literature; (6) how the Highlands and Highlanders became romantic icons in literature, painting, and the popular imagination, and the effect this had on the Gaels' sense of their identity; (7) Gaelic nostalgia and how this manifested itself in culture and politics. The author argues that the stereotypical image of the downtrodden Gael is false and shows the resilience of the Highlanders in change and adversity whether in their native Highlands, among the Lowlanders, or far overseas in the USA and the Empire.