Guelph Centre for Scottish Studies

Professor Kevin James will present at TAIWANfest Toronto on 30 August!

🌟Student Research Spotlight!

Paige McNicol is entering her third year at the University of Guelph, working toward her BA in History, and this summer marks the completion of her first Co-op work term. Over the summer, Paige worked with Professor Cathryn Spence in the Department of History on her project ‘Neighbours and Neighbourliness in Early Modern Edinburgh’.

“This summer I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with Professor Spence on this project, which has pushed me toward a deeper appreciation and understanding of academia. Prof. Spence’s project was inspired by the Housemails Annuity Tax, where between 1634 and 1636 assessors recorded every property within the city of Edinburgh, which left behind an extremely detailed map of the city and those within. My main responsibility was the evaluation of this document to identify individuals, families, and the relations between, for both those listed and unlisted in the document. Drawing on city records, debt records, and wills and testaments, I began creating detailed biographies and an organized searchable table of names, which I hope will be expanded as the project progresses. A secondary project I assisted with was investigating current publications on Scottish history and culture, for possible review in the International Review of Scottish Studies journal. This was an interesting look into the ways the literature surrounding Scottish Studies is currently developing. This summer working as a research assistant has been of incredible value and I am genuinely grateful to Professor Spence, the Centre for Scottish Studies, and all who made this opportunity possible.”

The History Co-op position in the Centre for Scottish Studies is generously funded by the Scottish Studies Foundation, a registered charitable organization dedicated to advancing the study of Scottish history and culture. We are incredibly grateful for the Foundation’s continued support for the Centre and our students.

History Department, University of Guelph
University of Guelph, College of Arts
University of Guelph - Experiential Learning

TAIWANfest is in a Dialogue with Scotland this year! On Aug 29 - 30, the festival presents a series of Hope Talks that invites audiences to explore new perspectives on Taiwan, Canada, and Scotland.

Join Professor Kevin James on Sunday August 30 as he explores how Scottish Highland culture was transformed and romanticized in the 19th century.

About the Talk…

What made the Scottish Highlands so alluring to visitors in the nineteenth century? To some travellers, it was the promise of dramatic landscapes; to others, it was the attraction of what they perceived to be the remnants of ancient Celtic cultures. In fact, both landscapes and people drew many tourists to the country’s north, at a time when Scotland, and Britain generally, were fast industrializing. The Highlands were also undergoing significant transformations at this time, which defy the notion that they were unchanging, however much that idea appeared as a persistent theme in many travellers’ observations of the region.

Habourfront Centre (Main Loft), Toronto | 1:00-2:00pm | Free Admission.

Full programme of Hope Talks at TAIWANfest Toronto: https://torontotaiwanfest.ca/programs/

🌟Student Research Spotlight!

PhD candidate Katherine Foran shares highlights from her recent conference and research trip:

"This summer I had the privilege of travelling to England not only to spend some time in the National Archives for research, but to present a section of my dissertation at the International Medieval Congress, at the University of Leeds! My presentation, "The Paper Trails of Noblewomen during the Scottish Wars of Independence" examines correspondence between Scottish noblewomen and the English king, Edward I (r.1272-1307). These charters from Scottish noblewomen expose the ways in which women navigated the legal and political turmoil during the continuous miliary conflict between the kingdoms of England and Scotland. A main aspect of my research exposes the way Scottish noblewomen utilized their social status and familial relationships to negotiate and aid in familial power.

After the conference, I travelled south to London and spent the remainder of my time in England between the National Archives in Kew, and the British Library. The documents I consulted at the National Archives were mainly charters and legal documents. Many of the documents I found had their original seals attached, which was an exciting find! The use of material evidence demonstrates how medieval Scottish noblewomen held a prominent role within the socio-political environment of the Wars of Independence. While at the British library I examined manuscripts which provide further insights into the wars and the various prominent Anglo-Scottish families involved in this time of conflict.

This trip was extremely enlightening for my own professional development as well as for my dissertation research, which I hope to complete this upcoming year. None of this would have been possible without the support of the Centre for Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph and the donors' generous contributions which aid in furthering historical research in Scottish topics."

History Department, University of Guelph
University of Guelph, College of Arts

The Scot of the Year is an annual recognition of a person who has made meaningful contributions to the advancement of Scottish culture in Canada. The Scottish Studies Centre at the University of Guelph celebrates this year's recipient, Philip Lindsay McLeod, who was honoured at a ceremony in Windsor, Ontario, in April.

Watch the celebration video here: https://www.jank.ca/scottishstudies-scotoftheyear2026

The Centre acknowledges with gratitude the generosity of the Scottish Studies Foundation and the Scottish Studies Society, which supports our scholarship and which organizes the Scot of the Year event.

University of Guelph, College of Arts
University of Guelph Alumni
History Department, University of Guelph

Jank Words & Pictures is pleased to share the official Scot of the Year 2026 short film.

The film captures the two-day celebration held in Windsor-Walkerville honouring Philip Lindsay McLeod, the 2026 Scot of the Year. It also highlights the work of the Scottish Studies Foundation and Scottish Studies Society in preserving and sharing Scottish history and culture in Canada.

The event marked a significant milestone as the Scot of the Year celebration was hosted outside the Greater Toronto Area for the first time.

Jank's Jamie Lees, President of the Scottish Studies Society and a Director of the Scottish Studies Foundation, was proud to be part of the organizing team that brought the event to Windsor.

If you're attending the Kingsville Highland Games this weekend at Colasanti's, stop by the Clan area and meet Phil McLeod in person. You'll find him beside the Scottish Studies Foundation booth.

Watch here:
https://www.jank.ca/scottishstudies-scotoftheyear2026

New issue of the IRSS now available online!

Issue 51.1, June 2026: euppublishing.com/toc/irss/51/1

Featured article is FREE to access:
Scottish Food Patriotism and the Literary Antecedents of Robert Burns’s ‘To a Haggis’ by Gerard Carruthers and Paul Malgrati.

Want to access the full issue?

30 Days FREE access is available:
euppublishing.com/accesstokens (use CODE: 30IRSS).

Join the Cambridge Scottish Festival on Saturday 18 July for the 50th Anniversary Celebration! 🇨🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Tickets available on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/cambridge-scottish-festival-tickets-1980602384047

The heart of the Cambridge Scottish Festival — our clans! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿❤️ Meet the amazing people behind Clan MacEwen and dozens of other Scottish clans who come together every year to share their heritage, history, and pride. Come discover YOUR clan on Saturday, July 18th — you might be more Scottish than you think! 😄
🎟️ Tickets at cambridgescottishfestival.ca

Speaking aboard the M/V Greg Mortimer, Professor Kevin James joined travellers, including University of Guelph Alumni for the "Wild Scotland Expedition" organised by Worldwide Quest. During this 12-day voyage, travellers are discovering the ‘wild isles’ of Scotland with stunning landscapes, impressive sites and local culture. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🌊

University of Guelph, College of Arts

Songs and Speech of Gaelic Scotland

An Exploration of Traditional Songs, Introduced Through the Gaelic Language

Join David Livingston-Lowe this fall for an exciting new in-person course offered at the University of St. Michael's College in the University of Toronto.

Dates: September 16th to October 21st, 2026.

This course will provide an introduction to speaking and singing in Gaelic, the Celtic language of Scotland. Students will learn pronunciation, basic vocabulary and useful phrases. Music is an effective tool for learning language. Each class will explore a different type of traditional song from Scotland’s rich Gaelic heritage. Students will encounter a range of songs and styles and understand the cultural context behind them. Musical styles will include mouth music, waulking and other work songs, children’s and ceilidh songs, songs of love and loss, and traditional Gaelic psalm-singing.

Information and Registration:

SMCE4010 F26 Songs & Speech of Gaelic Scotland - University of St. Michael's College An Exploration of Traditional Songs, Introduced Through the Gaelic Language Delivery: In person on campus at the University of St. Michael's College in the University of Toronto Duration: 6 weeks Day of the week: Wednesdays Dates: September 16th to October 21st, 2026 Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Location: T...

Scottish Historical Review's annual Early Career Researcher Prize.

The Prize is intended to promote the careers of ECRs, and especially those from social groups who remain under-represented in the SHR’s author profile, by providing an opportunity to publish in a leading peer-reviewed journal. The winning entry/entries will be published in the journal and receive a £500 award.

The deadline is Tuesday, 8 September at 5pm (UK).

Full details can be found on the SHR Trust's website:

Prizes — Scottish Historical Review Trust | Promoting Research & Publication in the Field of Scottish History | Monograph Series | Edinburgh - Scotland - UK The Prize is intended to promote the careers of ECRs, and especially those from social groups who remain under-represented in the SHR’s author profile, by providing an opportunity to publish in a leading peer-reviewed journal. The winning entry/entries will be published in the journal and receive ...