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Mobilising Land and Culture: The Highlands and Britain, 1725-2025
In 1725 General George Wade set in motion the unlocking of the Scottish Highlands for the Hanoverian British state. By his departure, he had overseen the construction of 30 bridges, 390 kilometres of road, and the raising of the first British Highland force, the Black Watch, which stood vital to the Scottish identity through the Victorian era to the end of the twentieth century. This mobilisation of manpower, martial tradition, and resources intensified a relationship which profoundly affected the landscape, local culture and economy. What had been isolated and culturally distinct was fast being reshaped into a province of the British imperial economy, and fundamental to Scottish identity. It is this process this conference intends to examine. The usage of the Highlands by the British state remains a contentious issue. As the use for green energy attracts the gaze of London and Edinburgh, and locals continue to face the challenges of emigration, there have been few better times to consider the historic relationship of the Highlands to the nation and its identity.
This tricentenary conference aims to bring together scholars to explore key themes of centre-periphery relations, Scotland and the Wider World, and military service and identity from 1725 to the present day.
Keynote Speakers: Professor Sir Hew Strachan (University of St Andrews) and Professor Andrew McKillop (University of Glasgow).
Location: Parliament Hall, South Street, St Andrews, KY16 9QW
Date: Saturday 14th June 2025
Bluesky: @highlanderscon1725.bsky.social