SFU Research Centre for Scottish Studies

Join our director, Professor Leith Davis, at this year’s TAIWANfest, where Scotland is featured as part of the festival’s Dialogue with the World series.

-Before Outlander: Remembering the Jacobites in Scottish History
-September 7, 4:30-6 p.m.
-Vancouver Playhouse (Annex)

The Jacobites have inspired centuries of stories, including Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, but who were they really? Drawing on letters and firsthand accounts, Professor Davis will explore this fascinating chapter of Scottish history.

Accompanying the talk, members of the Sybaritic Scots will bring the story to life through traditional music, weaving together words and melodies that echo through Scotland’s hills and glens.

Learn more.
https://taiwanfest.ca/van/2026/before-outlander-remembering-the-jacobites-in-scottish-history/

Post-medieval Scottish society greatly valued morality and maintaining the social order and traditional gender roles. Thus, Scottish women who threatened the status quo could find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Accusations of witchcraft and infanticide were most common charges brought against women during the Stuart era.
Learn more in this HistoryExtra article:

In post-medieval Scotland, two specific crimes reveal the challenges faced by ordinary women What do the crimes that women were charged with in a post-medieval Scotland reveal about the lives they lived?

Have you heard of "posy rings"? "During the 15th to 18th centuries in Scotland, rings like this were given as tokens of love. While usually associated with courtship and marriage, they might also have been gifts between friends and family." National Museums Scotland has some examples in their collection.
Learn more.

'I am yours': 11 Scottish posy rings | National Museums Scotland Posy rings are some of the most evocative objects of love in National Museums Scotland's collections. These finger rings are named for the short inscriptio

Have you seen "The Odyssey"? You might be surprised to know that the striking visuals came from seven different countries, including Scotland!
"To film the sequence where Odysseus and his crew are trapped by the sorceress Circe on mythical island of Aeaea, Nolan took cast and crew to the Moray Coast to film at Findlater Castle, Sunnyside Beach and Culbin Forest."
Learn more.

The Odyssey Filming Locations in Scotland (Moray Coast) Christopher Nolan filmed The Odyssey on Scotland's Moray coast. How to visit Findlater Castle, Sunnyside Beach and Culbin Forest, with parking and routes.

It is with great sadness that we announce the recent passing of Rex Davidson, a long-time friend and affiliate of the Research Centre for Scottish Studies and a past president of the St. Andrews and Caledonian Society of Vancouver. We will all greatly miss Rex's passion and enthusiasm for all things Scottish, his wisdom and his gentle humour. Our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones at this time.

Congratulations to our director, Professor Leith Davis, who has received a SSHRC Insight Grant to pursue her research on Forms of Memory in the British Transatlantic World, 1700-1840. Check out this article to learn more about Professor Davis' work, and that of the other SSHRC Insight Grant recipients.

Six FASS researchers awarded SSHRC Insight Grants From the study of 18th century manuscripts to government debt to biases in the criminal justice system, nine researchers from FASS have been awarded SSHRC Insight Grants to pursue research in these topics and many more.

Our director, Professor Leith Davis, recently visited the University of Exeter's Cornwall campus in Penryn to develop collaborations with the Institute for Cornish Studies and the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.

In the first photo, Professor Davis is pictured with Dr. Jim Kelly (left) and Dr. Joanie Willett (right) at the beautiful Trebah Garden

The three additional photos feature Davis and Kelly examining manuscripts about 19th-century Cornish travellers to North America (at the Archives and Cornish Studies Service)

Prof. Davis thanks Dr. Kelly and Dr. Willett for sharing their passion and expertise with her for all things Cornish as they discussed further research and teaching connections between their institutions.

Simon Fraser University

The SFU Pipe Band and its youth band, the Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band, invite you to a free outdoor concert!
-Sunday, August 2nd (11 AM-12 PM)
-At SFU Burnaby (AQ Courtyard - east of the pond)

Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy the morning.
A fundraiser for the Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band will be held immediately after the concert at BierCraft, located on campus at the Cornerstone Building
RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/ycypwmtf

On this day in 1515, Mary of Guise (Marie de Guise) was born. Famously known as the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots and the wife of James V of Scotland, Mary of Guise had an eventful life of her own.
For example, did you know she dismissed a marriage proposal by Henry VIII saying, "I may be a big woman, but I have a very little neck." She was, indeed, very tall -- standing at almost 6 feet.
Learn more.

Not Just Another Mary! The Life of Mary of Guise — Linlithgow Museum As a Royal Burgh, here in Linlithgow we are famous for being the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her father, James V. However, amongst this, we tend to forget the notorious mother and wife of these famous Scottish monarchs, Mary of Guise.

How much of Shakespeare’s "Macbeth" is rooted in real history?

This TED-Ed video looks at the 11th-century Scottish king who inspired the play, exploring how historical accounts of power, succession, and conflict were transformed into one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies.

Watch the video.

The murderous medieval king who inspired "Macbeth" - Benjamin Hudson Dig into the history that inspired Shakespeare’s tragedy, “Macbeth,...