A semblance of Scotland: Scottish identity in colonial Western Australia

Authors

Leigh Straw, Edith Cowan University

Document Type

Book

Publisher

Grimsay Press

Place of Publication

Glasgow

Faculty

Faculty of Education and Arts

School

School of Communications and Arts / Centre for Research in Entertainment, Arts, Technology, Education and Communications

RAS ID

8452

Comments

Straw, L. (2006). A semblance of Scotland : Scottish identity in colonial Western Australia. Glasgow: Grimsay Press.

Abstract

Scots migrating to colonial Western Australia were part of a nineteenth century trend taking Scots to various corners of the world. By the mid-nineteenth century Scots were scattered across the globe, most noticeably in Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, continuing a tradition existing since the seventeenth century. But while the large groups of Scottish migrants are well known, smaller groups of Scots such as existed in Western Australia are the least recognised in settler historiography. Focussing on the lives of the first Scots arriving in the Swan River colony from 1829 to 1850, A Semblance of Scotland shows how not all Scots went out to areas with large groups of compatriots. Westralian Scots can be seen as an example of small migrant groups that, rather than be absorbed, can and do retain a strong sense of identity.