Introduction: Family, Wealth and Colonialism: North East Scots in the Caribbean and India, c.1690- c.1840

In June 2021, we organised the first international conference that explored in what ways and in what manner individuals and institutions from the North East of Scotland participated in Britain’s growing empire during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Nearly thirty senior, middle, and early career scholars, independent researchers, artists, graduate students, activists, curators, and heritage industry professionals gathered, with many more in attendance for a two-day virtual event supported by the University of Aberdeen Museums and Special Collections and the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh. The broad range of interests from the participants reflected the importance of acknowledging the legacies of scholarship from outside academic institutions and how public and private research in areas such as genealogy, family history, private archive curation, and social justice activism contribute to uncovering all aspects of Scotland’s national story beyond its borders.

The articles presented in this special issue of the Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies began as conference papers delivered by speakers on panels that highlighted colonial investments, institutional legacies, and the effects of empire on the North East Scottish landscape and within individual families....