Clubbing Together: Ethnicity, Civility and Formal Sociability in the Scottish Diaspora to 1930 (Migrations and Identities LUP)

Emigrants carried a rich array of associations with them to the new worlds in which they settled, often 'clubbing together' along ethnic lines shortly after first foot fall. Yet while a crucial element of immigrant community life, one of the richest examples, that of Scottish migrants, has received only patchy coverage. Moreover, no one has yet problematized Scottish associations, such as St Andrew's societies or Burns clubs, as a series of transnational connections that were deeply rooted in the civic life of their respective communities. This book provides the first global study to capture the wider relevance of the Scots' associationalism, arguing that associations and formal sociability are a key to explaining how migrants negotiated their ethnicity in the diaspora and connected to social structures in diverse settlements. Moving beyond the traditional nineteenth-century settler dominions, the book offers a unique comparative focus, bringing together Scotland's near diaspora in England and Ireland with that in North America, Africa, and Australasia to assess the evolution of Scottish ethnic associations, as well as their diverse roles as sites of memory and expressions of civility. The book reveals that the structures offered by Scottish associations engaged directly with the local, New World contexts, developing distinct characteristics that cannot be subsumed under one simplistic label - that of an overseas 'national society'. The book promotes understanding not only of Scottish ethnicity overseas, but also of how different types of ethnic associational activism made diaspora tangible. Emigrants carried a rich array of associations with them to the new worlds in which they settled, often 'clubbing together' along ethnic lines shortly after first footfall. Yet while a crucial element of immigrant community life, one of the richest examples, that of Scottish migrants, has received only patchy coverage. Moreover, no one has yet problematized Scottish assoctiations, such as St Andrew's societies or Burns clubs, as a series of transnational connections that were deeply rooted in the civil life of their respective communities. This book provides the first global study to capture the wider relevance of the Scots' ethnic associationalism, arguing that associations and formal sociability are critical to explaining how migrants negotiated their ethnicity in the diaspora and connected to social structures in diverse settlements. Moving beyond the traditional nineteenth-century settler dominions, the book offers a unique comparative focus by bringing together Scotland's near diaspora in England and Ireland with that in North America, Africa, the Antipodes and the Far East to assess the evolution of Scottish ethnic assoications, as well as their diverse roles as sites of both memory and civility. The book reveals that the structures offered by Scottish associations engaged directly with the local, New World contexts, developing distinct characteristics that cannot be subsumed under one simplistic label - that of a overseas 'national society'. The book promotes understanding not only of Scottish ethnicity overseas, but also of how different types of ethnic associational activism made diaspora tangible. -- Publisher's description This global study captures the wider relevance of the Scots' associational culture, arguing that associations and formal sociability are a key to explaining how migrants negotiated their ethnicity in the diaspora and connected to social structures in diverse settlements. Moving beyond the traditional 19th century settler dominions, the book brings together the near Scottish diaspora in England & Ireland with that in North America, Africa, and Australasia to assess the evolution of Scottish ethnic associations, as well as their diverse roles as sites of memory and expressions of civility Clubbing Together offers the first global study of Scottish ethnic associationalism, exploring transnationally the evolution and role of Scottish clubs and societies.