John Pinkerton (1758–1826), race and nationality

Join us for a SWINC Seminar – 8 November 2026, 2.00-5.00pm

Teaching Room 02, Old College (access via Law Reception)

All welcome but please email r.p.irvine@ed.ac.uk if coming.

2.00: Introduction: who was John Pinkerton?

2.10: Désha Osborne (Edinburgh): ‘Special Magistrate John Anderson’s “Savage” Celts, “Horrible” Caribs, and Other “Apologies of Humanity”: Reading Pinkerton in the Caribbean.’

2.30: Rhys Kaminski-Jones (University of Wales Trinity Saint David): ‘Vindicating the Welsh Celt: Re-Racializing and De-Racializing after Pinkerton.’

2.50: Questions

3.15: Tea/coffee

3.45: Jonathan Powell (Edinburgh), ‘“Art Thou a Stranger?”: Scotland and Middle Temple, 1603–1707’.

4.00: Adam Kozaczka (Texas A&M): ‘Posturing Controversy in John Pinkerton’s Correspondence.’

4.20: Kate Ash-Irisarri and Bob Irvine (Edinburgh): ‘Pinkerton, Barbour and (the) Scots’.

4.40: Questions