Whaur Extremes Meet

On the cusp of memory and history, the story of Scotland's twentieth-century is contested territory: international yet parochial; prosperous yet ailing; and, passionate yet temperate. This thematic account of Scotland's twentieth century examines the economic, social, political and cultural aspects that shaped the country during the period. Catroina MacDonald underlines the tensions inherent in the life of a nation distinguished by stark changes and surprising continuities, a fragmented identity, a shifting and at times uneasy accommodation in the UK nation state, and an ongoing engagement with globalising tendencies. In identifying the choices, ambitions, possibilities and contradictions that Scotland experienced during a century of profound change, she uncovers a country in which one can truly say extremes met.

Catriona M.M. Macdonald was born in Glasgow, educated at the universities of St Andrews and Strathclyde, and is currently Reader in Late Modern History at the University of Glasgow. She is a former editor of the Scottish Historical Review, past president of the Scottish History Society and former Trustee, National Museums Scotland. Her book Whaur Extremes Meet was Saltire Scottish History Book of the Year, 2010.