About the Scottish Diaspora Forum

Diaspora refers to the movement of any population sharing common ethnic identity who are either forced to leave or leave their settled territory voluntarily to become residents in areas often far removed from their original territory. As a result of such movement one of Scotland’s richest exports throughout history has always been its people. The Scottish Diaspora offers an extraordinarily varied and diverse source of support and talent to Scotland that cannot be found elsewhere.

Now is a good time for Scots to appreciate and draw from their relatives abroad in order to reinvigorate and enrich their country.

With Scotland now at a unique moment in its history and with an increasing awareness of the potential offered by its global Diaspora, The Scottish Diaspora Forum seeks to develop and deepen understanding of this key relationship by posing the questions such as:

• What is the vision for the future of the Scots as a global diaspora?
• What is ‘Scottishness’?
• In this global interconnected age are we a country of 5 million or a potential community of more than 30 million?

For that is the mark of the Scots of all classes: that he stands in an attitude towards the past, and remembers and cherishes the memory of his forebears, good or bad; and there burns alive in him a sense of identity with the dead even to the twentieth generation.”
— Robert Louis Stevenson