Traditional Gaelic song and the modern Gaelic revival

It has been suggested that a growth in popularity in Gaelic song is driven both commercial interests and by Gaels themselves as part of a broader collective effort to (re)assert their cultural identity and to (re)claim their rich oral singing and storytelling tradition. As a consequence, modern Gaelic singing seems to function as an agent of language revitalisation as well as a form of cultural expression.

This research topic will explore the complex and recursive relationship between singers and their audiences, and between singers and their songs. In doing so, the research might focus on the learning and transmission of Gaelic song, repertoire selection and singing and performance styles of contemporary singers; or, on the effect of Gaelic song performance on the audience.

Applicants are encouraged to consider a comparative element between Scottish and Cape Breton Gaelic song cultures, and to traverse traditional scholarly fields of ethnomusicology, folklore studies, Gaelic studies, cultural studies, the sociology of language and language planning. The successful applicant will be offered Gaelic language training and will be supervised by Dr Marsaili MacLeod (Gaelic Studies) and Dr Thomas McKean (Director, Elphinstone Institute).

The School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture has a lively postgraduate community. Postgraduate students are offered a comprehensive programme of research skills training.