Scotland is among the great migrant nations of modern times.  For centuries Scots have left their native shores first for Europe and England, then the north of Ireland, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australasia.  Their international mobility has been truly global and impact on the history of several overseas countries very considerable.

Much has been written about this great diaspora but there still remain major questions and issues which require to be studied in academic depth and in a comparative context alongside the emigrations of other nations.  The Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies within the School of History, Classics and Archaeology in the University of Edinburgh, the first such research unit in the field, was formally established in Spring, 2008 to advance historical enquiry into this vital subject.