About this episode

Murray Pittock discusses his book on Scottish history and the rise of nationalism.

In this episode of the Explaining History Podcast, we are joined by cultural historian Murray Pittock to discuss his new book, The Shortest History of Scotland – a concise but richly detailed journey through two millennia of Scottish history, from the Picts to the present day. Scotland’s geography – the “land of the mountain and the flood”, in Walter Scott’s phrase – made it virtually impenetrable until modern roads and railways. For centuries, the sea was the highway, and Scotland’s east‑coast ports looked as much to continental Europe as to England. Understanding that terrain is key to understanding how Scotland became a state in historical time – and why the union with England was never a foregone conclusion. Murray explains the origins of his book, written as part of the bestselling Shortest History series, and the opportunity it offered to refresh a field dominated by either heavy tomes or outdated accounts. He focuses not just on kings and battles, but on people’s lived lives, culture, and the built environment – while also signposting readers towards deeper dives, such as the Declaration of Arbroath. We then turn to the present. The story of modern Scottish nationalism…

People in this episode

Host: Nick Shepley

Guest: Murray Pittock

Topics covered

• Scottish history
• nationalism
• cultural history
• union with England
• Scottish identity

Keywords

• Scotland
• nationalism
• history
• Murray Pittock
• Winnie Ewing
• Scottish identity
• by-election

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Shortest History of Scotland

Places: Scotland, England, Hamilton, Britishness, Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand

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