Scottish Ethnology and Scottish History

Scottish ethnology and Scottish history together make a distinctive and complementary pairing for anyone who wants to understand Scotland's culture, society, and past in real depth. Ethnology, as a discipline, is concerned with the study of traditional and vernacular culture, examining folklore, material culture, oral tradition, community customs, and everyday life as expressions of cultural identity and continuity. Scottish history, meanwhile, provides the chronological and analytical framework for understanding how Scotland developed as a nation, from its medieval origins through the Reformation, the Union, the Enlightenment, the Highland Clearances, industrialisation, and into the contemporary period.

At the University of Edinburgh, which holds the Chair of Scottish Ethnology and is home to some of the most significant collections and expertise in this field in the world, this four-year full-time programme gives you access to exceptional scholarly resources and teaching. You will study the history of Scotland across its major periods, examining primary sources, historiographical debates, and the social, cultural, and political forces that have shaped Scottish society. In ethnology, you will engage with material culture, oral history, folk narrative, music, and the cultural practices of both rural and urban Scotland, learning to use the methods of the discipline to analyse and interpret cultural evidence.

A year abroad is incorporated into the programme, providing a comparative perspective on national culture and history in another country.

Graduates from this combination go on to careers in museums and heritage, archives, the civil service in Scotland, cultural organisations, education, publishing, community history projects, and academic research. Scotland's substantial heritage sector offers real employment opportunities in the areas of interpretation, collections management, and public engagement. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in Scottish history, ethnology, heritage studies, or related fields.