Depending on how broadly you define the term "Diaspora," there are an estimated 30, 50, even possibly 100-million Scot Diaspora spread around the world. Scot Diaspora can indeed be found in every corner of the globe - in North America, the Caribbean, throughout Europe, the Far East, Australia, and significantly, New Zealand. Regardless of the definition of choice, there can be no doubt that Scots have had a tremendous impact on all aspects of society and modern life, whether they be in literature or science or even in the social mores brought with them from Scotland and later serving as the foundations on which new communities and even countries were built.
But just who were these Scots who emigrated to the far points of the globe? What were their reasons for leaving their homeland? How did they settle and survive in their new homelands? When was the largest episode of migration? Why do people today find it so important to identify themselves as Scottish, even with ancestry that is many generations removed from Scotland?
Dr. Tanja Bueltmann is an expert in the Diaspora field with a special interest in the Scot Diaspora. She has written multiple books on the subject and hosts her own blog as well. Her shared insights, gained through extensive research, offer a valuable understanding of this unique worldwide community.
• The Scot Diaspora - Order Dr. Tanja Bueltmann's 2013 book here
• Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies
• The Scottish Diaspora Tapestry - a unique project celebrating 25 diaspora communities