Description
Book SynopsisThe experience of immigration to Australia from Scotland is outlined here, from daily life and occupation, to interactions with the indigenous inhabitants. Despite their significant presence, Scots have often been invisible in histories of Australian migration. This book illuminates the many experiences of the Scots in Australia, from the first colonists in the late-eighteenth century until the hopeful arrivals of the interwar years. It explores how and why they migrated to Australia, and their lives as convicts, colonists, farmers, families, workers, and weavers of culture and identity. It also investigatestheir encounters with the Australian continent, whether in its cities or on the land, and their relationship with its first peoples; and their connections to one another and with their own collective identities, looking at diversity and tension within the Scottish diaspora in Australia. It is also a book about the challenges of finding a place for oneself in a new land, and the difficulties of creating a sense of belonging in a settler colonial society. Dr Benjamin Wilkie is a Lecturer in Australian Studies and Early Career Development Fellow at Deakin University, Australia.
Trade ReviewWill be welcomed by historians of the Scottish diaspora and those interested in Australian migration....A book that will be read with profit. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *
A highly readable book [which] makes a significant contribution to the field of Scottish migration, revealing without doubt the extent to which it must be regarded as an entirely separate and distinctive diaspora. * JOURNAL OF BRITISH STUDIES *
[This] book offers important new insights into the settlement of Scots in Australia, their networks, their culture, and, in a particularly important chapter, their interactions with, and impact on, indigenous Australians. . . . Wilkie's study is a well-written and nicely presented examination of one of Australia's most significant foundational migrant groups. * AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW *
A fresh and engaging excursion through the gloaming of Scottish Australia. * AUSTRALIAN HISTORICAL STUDIES *
Table of ContentsIntroduction From Scotland to Australia: Convicts, Free Settlers, and Encounters with Australia Caledonia Australis: Imperial Commerce, Migrant Networks, and Australian Pastoralism Scottish Migrants and Indigenous Australians Imagining Home: Scottish Culture in Australia Warriors of Empire: A Case Study of Popular Imperialism The Empire Builders: Imperial Commerce and Migration Between the Wars New Scots: Industry, Settlement, and Working-Class Migration At the Edge of Scotland's Diaspora: Diversity and Tension in the Twentieth Century Conclusion: The Imperial Legacy Bibliography
