• A black and white photograph of Hermann Gross holding a metalworking tool, with an in-progress sculpture before him.

Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

Sports and the Commodification of Scottish Identity

Glasgow 2014 opened with a celebration of Scottish folklore and identity, themes intrinsically associated with Highland Games. Read: Manly Games, Athletic Sports and the Commodification of Scottish Identity: Caledonian Gatherings in New Zealand to 1915, by Tanya Bueltmann, Scottish Historical…

Scotland’s Referendum

By Michael Rosie, Special Editor for Scottish Affairs, Volume 23.3 (2014) Scotland does not stand still. The last 15 years have seen four elections, the death of a First Minister, the transition from a Scottish Executive to a Scottish Government.…

Scottish Philosophy: Mind and Society

By Gordon Graham The tradition of Scottish philosophy had always had twin foci – the working of the human mind, and the social life of human beings. Some philosophical traditions hold these two areas of inquiry largely apart – Rationalism…

Scottish Philosophy: Neglect and Renewal

By Gordon Graham Philosophy played a key role in the curriculum of the Scottish universities from their foundation in the 15th century to the closing decade of the 19th century. By the middle of the 20th century, however, Hume’s great…

Whose Central Bank is it Anyway?

Division of UK assets and liabilities between an independent Scotland and the rest of the UK (“rUK”) following a YES vote in the September 18th referendum continues to provoke heated discussion with just months to the big event. Rod MacLeod…

The Scottish Independence Referendum

Will the Scottish Referendum process be fair?

Four months ahead of the Scottish independence referendum, Stephen Tierney (University of Edinburgh) in an Analysis piece in the Edinburgh Law Review (Volume 18.2), summarises  some of the main points concerning the Referendum process and event. He highlights the importance…

Gordon Graham

Scottish Philosophy: Project and Legacy

By Gordon Graham The Scottish philosophical tradition found its richest and most influential expression in the investigations Scottish philosophers of the 18th century conducted in their project of a ‘science of human nature’. This project, uniquely, tackled traditional philosophical problems…

Scottish Affairs – New to Edinburgh

February 2014 not only sees the launch of our new Journals blog, but we’re also delighted that Scottish Affairs is now publishing with Edinburgh. Established in 1992, it’s the leading forum on Scottish current affairs in an international and historical…