Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party
For hundreds of years, Scots have settled across the globe, from North America to Asia to Africa. Their contribution to a range of fields such as education, science, finance and engineering has been immense -- shaping the positive reputation Scotland enjoys internationally. Today, there are an estimated 50 million people around the world with Scottish ancestry, and the impact of the Scottish diaspora has been huge. To The Ends Of The Earth: Scotland’s Global Diaspora, 1750-2010 (Allen Lane, £25) -- the third volume of what Professor Tom Devine describes as an unintended trilogy, following The Scottish Nation 1700--2000 and Scotland’s Empire 1600--1815 -- examines how successive waves of emigration have affected this country too, sometimes in ways we are only just beginning to appreciate. Filled with fascinating descriptions of the social inequality that drove emigration, Scotland’s Diaspora manages to look beneath the myth and sentimentality and focus on the true reasons why so many people chose to leave Scotland to begin new lives elsewhere. In his writing, Professor Devine has brought a greater understanding to this fascinating subject and offers an intriguing perspective on a key component of our history and national identity.
