Scottish traditional music has been through a revival in the mid-twentieth century and has now entered a professionalised public space. Devolution in the UK and a surge of cultural debate surrounding the independence referendum in Scotland led to a greater study of identities in the UK, set within a wider context of cultural globalization. Traditional music has played an increasingly prominent role in the public life of Scotland, mirrored in other Anglo-American traditions. This book explores the movement from historically text-bound musical authenticity towards more transient sonic identities that blur established musical genres and the meaning of what constitutes 'traditional' music today.

1. Understanding Scotland Musically Simon McKerrell & Gary West Policy & Practice 2. Traditional music and cultural sustainability in Scotland Simon McKerrell 3. Traditional music, community organisations and public funding: the case of Glasgow Fiddle Workshop Jo Miller 4. The emergence of the 'traditional arts' in Scottish cultural policy David Francis 5. Where the Gaelic Arts and Non-Traditional Theatre Meet, A Song Discussion Fiona J. Mackenzie 6. Referendum Reflections: Traditional music and the performance of politics in the campaign for Scottish independence Mairi McFadyen Porosity, Genres, Hybridity 7. Traditional Music, Tertiary Education and an Argument for Post-Revivalism Josh Dickson 8. Slaying the Tartan Monster: Identity, Revivalism, and Radicalism in Recent Scottish Music Meghan McAvoy 9. 'It Happens in Ballads': Ballad, Identity and Community in The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart Stephe Harrop 10. The problem with 'traditional' David McGuinness 11. Salsa Celtica's Great Scottish Latin Adventure Phil Alexander Home and Host 12. Distant voices, Scottish lives: On song and migration Morag Grant 13. The Globalization of Highland Dancing Pat Ballantyne The past in the present 14. Locating Identity in the Aural Aspects of Thomas Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (1765): a bibliographic perspective Danni Glover 15. Whirlpools, eddies and countercurrents in the carrying stream Stuart Eydmann 16. Performing Scottish fiddle music, or, the historicity of tradition Ronnie Gibson 17. Wynds, Vennels and Dual Carriageways: the changing nature of Scottish music Karen McAulay 18. Understanding Scotland Musically: Reflections on Place, War and Nation Gary West 19. Afterword Simon Frith