Black Lives in Scotland
Telling Our Stories
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Edinburgh University Press
Published:30th Sep '26
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Do you ever wonder what life was like for the one Black child or few Black children, you knew growing up in Scotland? What happened to those children? Do you consider their experience to be part of Scotland’s legacy? Are they even Scottish? Are you one of us? Jeanette Davidson was one of these children. Setting the scene within Scotland’s spotted racial history and ongoing social and cultural context, she relates poignant stories of challenge, love, hostility, support, vulnerability, strength, abandonment, resilience, empowerment, accomplishment and identity of Black Scots growing up in the country, from babyhood to adulthood. Understanding their importance to a strong, evolving multiracial Scottish society, she also includes narratives of new immigrant families from Africa and the Diaspora. The book addresses “from the inside” the myths and realities of Scottish values and history related to people of African descent and sheds light on daily life, community, belonging, surviving, Black-Scottish identity, anti-racist behaviour, truth, liberation, hope and possibilities for the future.
Jeanette Davidson has written a magnificent book with a narrative brilliance that engages the reader from the very first page! The book is a treasury of stirring stories, inspired writing and suspense. Davidson's search for Europe and Africa is a personal triumph of research and testimony. -- Molefi Kete Asante, Temple University
This is an amazing book! Jeanette Davidson tells her own story and the stories of other Black Scottish people in a way that will have you feeling that you’re sitting by a warm fireplace in her home hearing rarely told tales of survival and community building. -- Makungu M. Akinyela, Georgia State University
Using her own compelling memories, along with the experiences of others, Davidson reminds us that since the past is built on the financial benefit gained from supporting slavery or the actual enslavement of human beings, our world is held together by a horrendous legacy which must be acknowledged in order to move forward. -- Venise Berry, University of Iowa
Black Lives in Scotland is a must read for all … and reveals how in Scotland the continuous struggle for global liberty and personal freedoms remains a lasting hardship. -- Valerie Grim, Indiana University and President of the National Council for Black Studies
This book is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand how the social construction of race and racism have shaped modern Scotland. -- Stephen Mullen, University of Glasgow
An excellent exploration of the complexities facing people of African descent living in Scotland both historically and in the current era. -- James Stewart, Penn State University
ISBN: 9781474441452
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
416 pages