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Outline
biography
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I hold the Sir William Fraser Chair
of Scottish History and Palaeography at
the University of Edinburgh, to which I
was appointed in 2006. My previous post
was that of Glucksman Research Chair of
Irish and Scottish Studies at the University
of Aberdeen and Director of the Arts and
Humanities Research Council Centre in Irish
and Scottish Studies (Aberdeen, Trinity
College Dublin, and Queen’s University
Belfast) between 1999 and 2005.
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Past career
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I was educated at Strathclyde University
where I graduated with first class honours
in History followed by a PhD and DLitt.
There I was assistant lecturer, Reader,
Professor, Head of Department, Dean of
the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
and finally Deputy Principal of the University
from 1993 to 1997. In 1998 I was appointed
to the Directorship of the world's first
centre of advanced research in Irish and
Scottish Studies at Aberdeen, which was
formally inaugurated by the President of
Ireland, Mary McAleese, on St Andrew's
Day, 30th November 1999.
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Publications
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I am the author or editor of some two
dozen books and around 100 academic articles
on topics such as emigration, famine, empire,
Scottish transatlantic commercial links,
Irish immigrants, urban history, the Scottish
Highlands, sectarianism, identity and rural
social history. My latest books are Scotland’s
Empire, 1615-1815, published in 2003, a
co-edited volume, The Transformation of
Scotland (2005), and Clearance and Improvement:
Land, Power and People in Scotland (2006).
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Posts
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I hold Visiting Professorships at the
University of North Carolina, USA, and
the University of Guelph, Canada. Currently
I am a member of the ESRC Advisory Board
on Devolution and Constitutional Change
and the Research Awards Advisory Committee
of the Leverhulme Trust. I advise the Scottish
Executive on anti-sectarian policy, and
I am a Trustee of Edinburgh Unesco World
City of Literature.
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Personal
life
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I am married to Catherine and have five
children. My hobbies include my two grandchildren,
travelling in Italy, walking in the Hebrides
and watching skilful football.
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Contact
us
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Scottish History
School of History, Classics and Archaeology
The University of Edinburgh
17 Buccleuch Place
Edinburgh
Scotland
EH8 9LN
Tel +44 (0)131 650 4030
Fax +44 (0)131 650 4042
Email: Scottish.History@ed.ac.uk
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