CE401E: CELTIC SCOTLAND: GAELIC CULTURAL MOMENTS MIDDLE AGES TO PRESENT (2024-2025)

This course will explore key cultural moments created through Scottish Gaelic, or more broadly Celtic, inspiration, at home and among the global Scottish Diaspora (especially in North America). We will interrogate the roots, interpretations and emerging significance of the term ‘Celtic’ in Scottish and global contexts. The cultural study in this course will span approximately 1600 years, from the early middle ages to the Scottish Languages Bill (St Andrew’s Day 2023) and beyond.

Topics may include, but are not limited to: discussion of mediaeval Gaelic texts on early migrations to Scotland, as both historical records and a springboard to consider present-day reflexes; investigating early Scottish poems and stories as first narratives of the Scottish nation, and ‘The Book of Kells’ as a Scottish artistic and cultural phenomenon; the ancient and mediaeval origins of shinty and hurling; the cult of St Andrew in Scotland -- its historical and current significance; the mediaeval gospel-book known as ‘The Book of Deer’ and its mediaeval and current connections to north-east Scotland, including the 2022 exhibition at Aberdeen Art Gallery; and the Celtic magical manuscripts which inspired the Harry Potter books.

We will discuss Scottish Gaelic and broader Celtic inspirations in modern film: e.g. Afro-Gàidheil by Cass Ezeji; in musical developments; the history of broadcasting Scottish and ‘Celtic’ music on national and international media; and cultural heritage festivals. Students will be encouraged to explore and utilise the vast multimedia resources of the National Library of Scotland and BBC Alba.

Comparative topics will include early-modern colonial misrepresentations: e.g. Edmund Spenser on Scotland and Ireland; the vitality of traditional Gaelic, Welsh and Irish singing and dance styles; the social and cultural roles of Gaelic and Welsh choirs; George Mackay Brown’s Scottish reimagination of Old Norse legends; and cultural heritage festivals in Wales, Brittany, Ireland and Shetland; the inaugural Celtic Forum (August 2023) between Celtic nations on e.g. culture, heritage, and business development; and the Scottish Languages Bill (St Andrew’s Day, 30 November 2023) -- ‘Enshrining Gaelic and Scots in Scotland’s future’.

Key cultural moments for the Scottish Diaspora worldwide will be a focal point throughout the course: e.g. in Nova Scotia (eastern Canada) and in the U.S.A., especially New York.

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

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There are no assessments for this course.