Author Description

Some 30 million people worldwide claim Scottish ancestry, making the Scots one of the world's largest diasporas. There are few countries around the globe without a Caledonian Society, a Burns Club, a Scottish country dance society, or some similar organisation expressing the Scottish social and cultural heritage. Duncan Sim describes the Scottish diaspora in America, one of the largest. His survey includes interviews with Scottish Americans about their family histories, their membership of Scottish societies and their continuing links with the Scottish homeland. Academic interest in diasporas has grown as the world's population has become more mobile and as forced migration has led to major increases in the numbers of refugee diasporas. In relation to the Scottish diaspora, there is increasing interest, partly as a result of devolution and the existence of a Scottish Government able to engage directly with Scots overseas. The author explores theories of diaspora and how the Scots fit into these. He describes work with American Scots and reports on detailed interviews which cover family histories and issues of identity and belonging. There are chapters dealing with diaspora events such as National Tartan Day and it concludes with some discussion of the continuing nature and importance of expatriate identity. Duncan Sim's book will interest those studying notions of identity as sociologists, geographers or political scientists. It provides a fascinating study of how American Scots relate to their 'home' and an insight into how those in Scotland perceive those Scots who are now abroad.