Description: An exploration of the diverse lived experiences of marginality in Scottish society from the sixteen to the eighteenth century.
Throughout the early modern period, Scottish society was constructed around an expectation of social conformity: people were required to operate within a relatively narrow range of acceptable identities and behaviours. Those who did not conform to this idealised standard, or who were in some fundamental way different from the prescribed norm, were met with suspicion. Such individuals often attracted both criticism and discrimination, forcing them to live confirmed to the social margins. Focusing on a range of marginalised groups, including the poor, migrants, ethnic minorities, indentured workers and women, the contributors to this book explore what it was like to live at the boundaries of social acceptability, what mechanisms were involved in policing the divide between "mainstream" and "marginal", and what opportunities existed for personal or collective fulfilment. The result is a fresh perspective on early modern Scotland, one that not only recovers the stories of people long excluded from historical discussion, but also offers a deeper understanding of the ordering assumptions of society more generally. Specific topics addressed range from the marginalisation of people with disabilities in the domestic sphere to female sex workers, and the place of executioners in society.Brief description: ALLAN KENNEDY is Lecturer in Scottish History at the University of Dundee, Scotland.
Review Quotes: The collection's strength lies in its broad scope, encompassing a wide array of marginalized groups, including the poor, religious minorities, women, criminals, the disabled, migrants, and cultural minorities. The volume avoids reductive portrayals of marginality. Instead, its contributors acknowledge the agency and resilience of marginalized individuals, while critically examining the structural forces that perpetuated their exclusion.-- "EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY SCOTLAND"