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Congratulations to the SFU Pipe Band for their outstanding show in New York… from your friends at the Centre for Scottish Studies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XHazem0vXI
Book Release: Robert Burns and Transatlantic Culture
Published February 2012. Edited by Sharon Alker, Whitman College, USA, Leith Davis, Simon Fraser University, Canada, and Holly Faith Nelson, Trinity Western University, Canada. Series: Ashgate Series in Nineteenth-Century Transatlantic Studies. To purchase the book, click here.
This new book re-orients critical understanding of Robert Burns by examining his reception and representation in the Americas. While recent scholarship has usefully positioned Burns within the context of British Romanticism as a spokesperson of Scottish national identity, Robert Burns and Transatlantic Culture considers Burns's impact in the United States, Canada, and South America, where he has served variously as a site of cultural memory and of creative negotiation. Ambitious in its scope, the volume is divided into five sections that explore: transatlantic concerns in Burns's own work, Burns's early publication in North America, Burns's reception in the Americas, Burns's creation as a site of cultural memory, and extra-literary remediations of Burns, including contemporary digital representations. By tracing the transatlantic modulations of the poet and songwriter and his works, Robert Burns and Transatlantic Culture sheds new light on the circuits connecting Scotland and Britain with the evolving cultures of the Americas from the late eighteenth century to the present.
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Past Events ...
Tartan Day, 2012
Our Tartan Day Extravaganza took place this year on April 4, 2012 from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm at Rm 1420 SFU Harbour Centre. This was a celebration of our community contributors with songs from the Gaelic Choir, dancing from the Vancouver Royal Scottish Country Dance demonstration team, and the launch of our "Scottish Voices From the West" Oral History Project.
The Oral History Project is currently available at: http://content.lib.sfu.ca/cdm/search/collection/soh. The project is being continually updated, so check back often.
A message from Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Scottish Government, regarding our Tartan Day 2012 Celebration:
I am very sorry not to be able to be with you all this afternoon, for what I am sure is a wonderful gathering at the Centre for Scottish Studies in Vancouver. I had very much hoped to be with you in person to enjoy the Tartan Day celebrations and am certainly sorry to be missing Dr Sheridan's presentation on our newly renovated National Museum of Scotland and what I know will be wonderful entertainment from the Gaelic Choir and Vancouver Royal Scottish Country Dance Society.
I do however look forward to visiting Vancouver next week and meeting some of you as I continue the annual Scotland Week celebrations. Scotland and Canada are of course inextricably linked through our history. Canada is a country of many people and many parts, but we Scots are fiercely proud of the significant contributions we have made to Canadian politics, education, religion, sport, technology and culture.
Today, more than 5 million Canadians claim Scottish ancestry, so many of them in British Columbia. Their stories are brought to life in "Scottish Voices from the West" a rich, online resource which shines a light on the profound and enduring influence of Scots in this region. I very much look forward to having the opportunity to look through the site and hear the many histories first hand.
My best wishes again for your event this afternoon and I look forward to being in Vancouver very soon to add my own Scottish voice from the West as we work together to build Scotland and Canada's relationship for the future.
Marathon Reading of Burns’s Poetry for Burns Day, 2012
Thanks to everyone who came down to Harbour Centre on Jan. 25, 2012 to take part in the Burns Day marathon reading. It was a tremendous success! There were about 250 people who came by for it at different times, and the event was featured on a number of media: CBC TV, CTV, CityTV, News 1130, 650AM, etc. We set the record for the longest continuous recitation of Burns: 4 hours, 12 minutes and 27 seconds! Some photos and media coverage of the event in case you want to see more details: http://www.sfu.ca/ceremonies/events/2012/public-events/robbieburns.html
Music courtesy of SFU Pipe Band
Produced by Radio Dial Entertainment
David Lunny's Address to A Haggis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeUWf1UBnKU&feature=related
Click on: Peter Grainger at a Robbie Burns marathon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEOIU3WeKh0.
http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/323011--sfu-attempts-world-record-for-robbie-burns-day
http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/323711--sfu-breaks-record-on-robbie-burns-day
http://www.miss604.com/2012/01/robbie-burns-marathon-reading-at-sfu.html#comment-134808
St. Andrews and Caledonian Society Special 125th Anniversary Event
Dr. Gerard Carruthers (Director, Robert Burns Centre, U. of Glasgow): "The Unpseakable Scot: The Image of the Scot in the Media." 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, November 30, Room 1420, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings Street.
Some recent identifications of the Scottish 'character' in print and broadcast media are discussed. Among other aspects covered are the dour Scot, the Scot lacking in confidence and the Scot elbowing himself to the top of the British political tree. Are such traits and tendencies real, or are they mere caricatures? Has anything changed in the depiction of Scots since TWH Crosland published his 'The Unspeakable Scot' in 1902?
As 2011 marks the 125th anniversary of the St. Andrews and Caledonian Society in Vancouver, we will also be celebrating the occasion in style with a reception to follow the talk. Everyone is welcome, and there is no charge for this event.
St. Andrew's Ball & 125th Year Celebration of the St. Andrew's and Caledonian Society
Saturday November 19th, 2011 - Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Hotel
For tickets, please contact Blair Dymond: bdymond@telus.net or (604)731-8799
*Proceeds from the Ball support the Simon Fraser University Center for Scottish Studies
"The Truth About St. Kilda," To Dr. James Russell (Professor Emeritus, UBC)
Wednesday, October 26 7:30 pm. SFU Harbour Centre rm 1530, 515 West Hastings
Reverend Donald Gillies was born on St. Kilda in 1901. He emigrated to Canada in 1927, then in 1946 moved to the Vancouver area where he died in 1994. In 2004, Rev. Gillies’ daughter, Peggy Askew, alerted James Russell and Harry McGrath of the Centre for Scottish Studies to the existence of her father’s memoirs. The book will be available for purchase at
http://birlinn.co.uk/book/details/Truth-About-St-Kilda--The-9781906566074/
Check out our Podcasts for more information.
"The Quest for New Caledonia: Scots in the Pacific Northwest," Dr. Ted Cowan
Thursday, October 6 7:30 pm. SFU Harbour Centre rm 7000, 515 West Hastings
Ever since Sir William Alexander received the grant of Nova Scotia in 1620, Scots had striven to establish their 'New Caledonia' in the New World. Several unsuccessful ventures shared the name. When BC was created in 1858 it was originally to be named New Caledonia, an appellation first coined by Simon Fraser. This talk explores the remarkable Scottish contribution to the opening up of the Pacific Northwest, mainly, though not exclusively, through the fur trade. It touches on such themes as the rivalry between the fur trade companies, the exploration of the northwest, the establishment of the frontier with the US, the globalisation of trade and the creation of the multicultural province that is BC.
Check out our Podcasts for more information.