Renowned Scholar Named First Chair in Scottish Studies

May 19, 2004

By Rachelle Cooper

U of G's new Chair in Scottish Studies, the first such chair in North America, will be filled by Graeme Morton, a senior lecturer in economic and social history at the University of Edinburgh. Morton, who will also become a faculty member in the Department of History, will take up the chair in August.

“This is great news for the University,” says College of Arts dean Jacqueline Murray. “Not only are we gaining one of the world's top Scottish scholars, but the creation of the chair is another indication of our position as one of the world's foremost centres of Scottish studies.”

The permanently endowed chair was made possible entirely through $2 million in private donations, including a $750,000 gift from the Scottish Studies Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to the study of Scottish and Scottish-Canadian culture and heritage.

Morton specializes in the historical construction of Scottish national identity and nationalism, with emphasis on the creation of the Victorian cult of Sir William Wallace. Morton is the author of William Wallace: Man and Myth and has published dozens of articles and book chapters.

He was funded by the Canadian High Commission to study nationalism in Canada and Scotland. He is also part of an international team of scholars supported by the European Science Foundation to examine the writing of national histories in Europe. He currently serves on the council of both the Scottish History Society and the Scottish Economic and Social History Society.

As chair in Scottish studies, Morton will be mainly responsible for conducting research and guiding students. He will expand outreach activities to promote undergraduate and graduate education in Scottish studies and will enhance international connections, particularly with Scotland. A popular media commentator on Scottish events, he will also work closely with the Scottish Studies Foundation to promote the study of Scotland and Scots in Canada.

U of G has been a leader in Scottish studies since the 1960s. Guelph currently has the only graduate program in North America devoted to the study of Scotland and the achievements of people of Scottish descent around the world.