International Conference: Scotland and Poland, A Historical Relationship - 1500 - 2009

Renowned journalist and historian Neal Ascherson opens this special two-day conference examing ties between scotland and Poland with a lecture entitled "Brothers and Sisters for a' that': Rediscovering the Polish-Scottish Relationship" at the George Square Lecture Theatre.

This is a free event - but advance booking is essential.

About the two-day conference

The Polish Cultural Institute in London, in cooperation with the Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies (University of Edinburgh), with the support of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Edinburgh, has organized an engaging two-day international conference addressing 'Scotland and Poland: a Historical Relationship, 1500 - 2009'.

Scotland and Poland, a Historical Relationship, 1500 - 2009 International Conference.1-2 October is at 6.30pm, Thursday 1st of October

Few Scots or Poles are aware of their countries' close historical ties. The international conference 'Scotland and Poland, a Historical Relationship, 1500-2009' aims to make the Scottish-Polish links more visible. The conference brings together the leading experts on Polish and Scottish history. Papers presented investigate early modern Scottish migrations to Poland, the reception of the Scottish Enlightenment in Poland, Polish Armed Forces in Scotland during WWII, current day Polish migrations to Scotland within the framework of European Union and much more. The international conference 'Scotland and Poland, a Historical Relationship, 1500-2009' is a major opportunity to discover the two nations' shared past and present.

On 1 October Neal Ascherson will hold a free public lecture entitled Brothers and Sisters for a' that': Rediscovering the Polish-Scottish Relationship at the University of Edinburgh. The distinguished Scottish journalist and commentator has lectured and written extensively about Poland and Eastern European affairs. Professor Tom Devine, Sir William Fraser Professor of Scottish History and Paleography, Director of the Scottish Centre of Diaspora Studies, and Head of School of the University of Edinburgh's School of History, Classics and Archaeology will chair the lecture on Thursday 1 October at the George Square Lecture Hall, University of Edinburgh, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LK.

Neal Ascherson said, 'This conference marks the rediscovery of a locked room crammed with lost Scottish history. In some ways, it's even more important than Walter Scott's 1818 rediscovery of Scotland's hidden regalia in Edinburgh Castle. The Scottish colonies in Poland, and the network of highly-organised settlements across the Vistula basin, represented Scotland's first major venture into the outside world. Their success over several centuries laid down the future pattern and structures of Scottish overseas expansion, a pattern repeated before the 1707 Union and carried on into the British overseas empire which was to survive into the mid-20th century. (The Darien Scheme was a disaster precisely because it ignored that Polish precedent).

'But this Polish-Scottish relationship also has European significance. In the history of early-modern Europe, there is no comparable example of a large-scale colonial enterprise which succeeded without military conquest or political 'regime change'.

'Since then, a special Scottish-Polish intimacy has survived in spite of the barriers imposed by language, religion, distance and above all by politics - from the Partitions to the Iron Curtain. When Poland first lost its independence, it was in 19th-century Scotland and in France that the Polish cause found its most passionate support. The sojourn of Polish armed forces in Scotland during the Second World War made an immense and liberating impact on popular memory, which still needs to be explored. And in this generation the inflow of vigorous young Poles has not only stimulated the economy but revived that sense of intimacy between the two nations. With this conference, Scotland and Poland at last regain their hidden common heritage.'

Professor TM Devine OBE DLitt FRSE Hon MRIA FBA Head of School, School of History, Classics and Archaeology said 'The Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies welcomes the prospect of taking part in this exciting and unique event. This is the first time ever that the strong historical relationship between Poland and Scotland since medieval times to the present has been considered in an academic conference. Few Scots are aware of the fact that in the 17th century at least 40 000 of their fellow countrymen migrated to and settled in Poland. It was one of the greatest Scottish emigrations of the last several centuries. Intriguingly young Poles are settling in large numbers in Scotland in recent times and so the wheel has come full circle. Therefore there could not be a better time to explore the connections between these two historic nations. '
The following day, a round of the leading scholars in Scottish and Polish history will come together to explore the two nations' shared past and present. The Scottish Centre for Diaspora Study coordinates the three conference sessions. Among the topics addressed by the speakers are: 
o Scottish Highlanders in Poland, c.1500-1800 o Polish-Scottish diplomatic and political relations, 16th and 17th Century o The Reception of the Scottish Enlightenment in Polando Polish Armed Forces in Scotland during WW II and their life after the Waro Polish immigrants in the Scottish media, 2004 to present

Anna Tryc-Bromley, Deputy Director of the Polish Cultural Institute said 'My first encounter with British culture was through participation in the Edinburgh Festival. I came as a teenager to internship with a restless, though always inspiring, Richard Demarco. Scotland has opened its heart to me and many other Poles. Edinburgh has played an important role in building cultural connections between the best Polish artists, theatre practitioners and creative individuals; in particular, throughout the eighties when Poland was behind the Iron curtain.  During that time of disconnection from the world it was exhilarating to be challenged by, and taste victory on, the global stage of the Edinburgh Festival. 
There are many historical threads and human interest stories that we want to bring to the attention of both the new generations of Scots and Poles through the Scotland-Poland conference; the University of Edinburgh hosted the Polish Medical School after the II WW, Chopin toured for the final time around Scotland, and an unusual Polish soldier, Wojtek the bear from Anders Army, spent the remainder of his life in the Edinburgh Zoo. It is now a time to look deeper into our past and present relations so we can build new, exciting projects for the future.' 

The Polish Cultural Institute is part of diplomatic mission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. Based in London, the Institute is dedicated to nurturing and promoting cultural ties between the United Kingdom and Poland, both through British exposure to Poland 's cultural achievements, and through exposure of Polish artists and scholars to British trends, institutions, and professional counterparts. The Polish Cultural Institute has been supporting exhibitions, music performances, theatre productions at both Edinburgh Festival and Edinburgh Fringe.

Neal Ascherson

Neal Ascherson was born in Edinburgh and studied history at Cambridge. He has been a journalist all his life, specializing in Central and Eastern Europe but also working in southern and east Africa and, more recently, in the Caucasus. His interests have been Scottish history and politics, and archaeology. He first visited Poland in 1957, and has returned almost every year since then. From 1963-9, he was The Observer correspondent for Central and Eastern Europe, based in Berlin. He was a witness to events in Poland leading up to March 1968, reported the 'Prague Spring', and also the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia that August. In 1975, he returned to Scotland for 5 years, working as Scottish politics correspondent for The Scotsman. He continued to visit east-central Europe, reporting the Papal visit to Poland in 1979 and - from Gdansk - the birth of Solidarity in 1980. In 1989, he covered the decisive Sejm [Polish Parliament] elections in Poland. Between 1985 and 1998, he worked in London as a columnist for The Observer and then The Independent on Sunday. He is the author of two books about Polish affairs, The Polish August (1981) and The Struggles for Poland (1987); the latter accompanied the TV documentary series with the same name, for which he wrote a number of scripts. In the 1970s, he wrote some of the commentaries for the World At War TV documentary series. His book Black Sea appeared in 1995; Stone Voices: The Search for Scotland was published in 2003. Neal Ascherson has won a number of journalism and literary awards, and was granted the Polish Order of Merit in 1992. He now works part-time in the Institute of Archaeology, at University College London, where he edits the journal Public Archaeology. He is married, with four children.

Scotland and Poland, a Historical Relationship, 1500 - 2009 International Conference.1-2 October. MAIN LECTURE:6.30pm, Thursday 1st of OctoberBrothers and Sisters for a' that': Rediscovering the Polish-Scottish Relationship lecture by Neal Ascherson.  George Square Lecture Theatre, University of Edinburgh.Free event - advance booking is essential.