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The Covenanting Tradition in Scottish Studies

Études écossaises: 2028 special issue – call for papers
Guest editor: Dr John R. Young, Department of Humanities, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow

This proposal calls for a reassessment of as well as new explorations into the Covenanting tradition in Scottish Studies. The term Scottish Studies is used deliberately to promote and enhance a holistic interdisciplinary approach that is not restricted to the traditional areas of Scottish History and Literature. As indicated in the proposed themes below, a wide range of potential themes and areas can be addressed, allowing for a fundamental holistic reappraisal of the Covenanting tradition and its significance in twenty first century Scotland. Arguably the Covenanters and the Covenanting tradition have fallen out of favour in terms of Scottish national identity, with a current emphasis on Jacobitism (which in turn is linked to Scottish nationalism. This in turn poses different questions—what about those Scots who were not Jacobites and who fought against the Jacobites? Were they not ‘real’ Scots?). So, whereas Jacobites were freedom fighters and the 1745–1746 Jacobite rebellion was a ‘national war of liberation’, Covenanters were extremists or even ‘terrorists’. The complexity and importance of the Covenanters therefore needs to be readdressed. The Covenanting tradition, from an impartial historical perspective, needs to be rehabilitated in Scotland’s national identity and understanding of the past in what is still a divided society in the post‑2014 failed independence referendum period. This is therefore the appropriate time to do so.

Submissions are invited on, but are not restricted to, the following themes:

Institutions

  • The Covenanters and the Scottish Parliament

  • The Scottish Privy Council and the Covenanters

  • The Church of Scotland and the Covenanters

  • Covenanters and the Law/Legal system

  • Prisons and the Covenanters/the imprisonment of Covenanters

Gender

  • The role and significance of Covenanting women

Localities and the nation

  • Regional case studies of the Covenanters

  • The Covenanters and Scottish national identity

Literature and culture

  • Ballads and the Covenanters

  • The representation of the Covenanters in Scottish literature

  • The representation of the Covenanters in Scottish art

  • Print culture and the Covenanters

  • The Covenanting tradition and the history of ideas

Theology

  • The Covenanting tradition in theology

  • The significance of psalms in Covenanting worship

  • The legacy of the Covenanters in religious worship and organisation (such as the Reformed Presbyterian Churches)

  • The Covenanting tradition and legacy in colonial North America

Material culture

  • Artefacts of the Covenanters

  • The significance of graves and memorials of Covenanters

Covenanting battles and uprisings

  • Archaeological evidence relating to Covenanting battles and uprisings

  • Covenanting flags and banners

  • The Covenanters and the Wars for The Three Kingdoms

Methodological approaches

  • Methodologies for studying the Covenanters

  • Biographical and prosopographical approaches

 

Proposed timetable

Proposals for articles in either French of English should be submitted to john.r.young@strath.ac.uk by 1 June 2026. Proposals should include a title, an abstract of c. 1000 words, and brief biographical details.

Submission date for article proposals: 1 June 2026

Notification of accepted proposals: 19 June 2026

Submission date of accepted articles: 31 December 2026

Peer review feedback: 1 June 2027

Submission of finalised articles: 1 December 2027

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