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Murray Pittock :

@murrayp.bsky.social

1K followers 390 following 93 posts

Pro VP U.Glasgow, personal views and evidence-based judgements only. 'You think that a wall as solid as the earth separates civilization from barbarism. I tell you the division is a thread, a sheet of glass'-John Buchan. https://murraypittock.com .. more

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Murray G. H. Pittock MAE FRSE is a Scottish historian and cultural and textual scholar. He holds the position of Bradley Professor of Literature at the University of Glasgow and serves as Pro Vice-Principal at the university, where he has occupied senior roles, including Dean and Vice-Principal, since 2008. He led the University's involvement in the Kelvin Hall redevelopment project in collaboration with the City of Glasgow and the National Library of Scotland (kelvinhall.org.uk), and since 2016 has chaired Glasgow's early career development programme, which has been considered influential across the sector. .. more

History 66%

Political science 12%

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Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · 21d

Coming very soon now-a comprehensive single volume history of Scotland from brochs to Brexit with something for everyone from Old Street Publishing-with thanks to @willdalrymple.bsky.social for his assessment !

@sahavoice.bsky.social @broadcastscot.bsky.social
@asls.org.uk @iassl.bsky.social

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Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · 8h

Looking forward to supporting ADER auctions in Paris to sell the magnificent Pix collection for the benefit of @ashmoleanmuseum.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk . Unravelling the mysteries of Jacobite glass in Paris next Thursday @sahavoice.bsky.social @whitegoldsword1708.bsky.social @funkyplaid.bsky.social

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International Association for the Study of Scottish Literatures @iassl.bsky.social · 1d

Call for Papers: 18th International Conference on Medieval and Renaissance Scottish Language, Literature, and Culture, 1-4 July 2026, University of Bristol. Submission deadline: 14 November 2025. icmrsllc2026.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/call-for-pap...

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Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · 5d

30 years this month since the 1st edition of The Myth of the Jacobite Clans was published & it still sells a fair number of copies every year. Thanks to all who read & understood its challenge to the framing of the '45, advancing data on the scale & nature of recruitment &opposition to the Union.

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Keep Scotland the Brand @keepscotlandbrand.bsky.social · 12d

#Tartan is an iconic and instantly recognisable part of Scotland’s culture and heritage.

This petition demands important and long-overdue legal protections to Scottish textiles and designs - although the Lowlands also should be included

#keepScotlandtheBrand

petition.parliament.uk/signatures/1...

Petition: Pass an act for tartan woven in the Highlands, similar to Harris Tweed Act 1993

Create an act that legally recognises tartan cloth woven in the Highland region following the precedent set by the Harris Tweed Act 1993. A Highland-based authority could be established to manage the ...

petition.parliament.uk

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Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · 13d

Beyond Borders: my Buchan at 150 discussion-thanks to a great Festival for posting! John Buchan: A Man For Our Time? youtu.be/Z5zPRJt1Hdg?... via @YouTube

John Buchan: A Man For Our Time?

YouTube video by Beyond Borders Scotland

youtu.be

Reposted by Murray Pittock, Claire Connolly

Irish Humanities Alliance @irishhumanities.bsky.social · 14d

A strong start to our Irish Scottish Cultural and Diplomatic Relations event @ria.ie with Prof @murrayp.bsky.social of @sahavoice.bsky.social

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International Association for the Study of Scottish Literatures @iassl.bsky.social · 15d

A talk by IASSL member Fernando Toda @usaloficial.bsky.social on the translations of Barbour's Bruce and Hary's Wallace into Spanish: 2 October, 5:30 UK time, in person at @uofglasgow.bsky.social & online. Book your free ticket!

La libertad es una cosa noble: Bruce and Wallace translated into Spanish

A talk by Fernando Toda of the University of Salamanca, exploring the translations of Barbour's Bruce and Hary's Wallace into Spanish.

www.eventbrite.co.uk

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Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · 15d

Tomorrow in Dublin, delighted to be introducing this event with @sahavoice.bsky.social in collaboration with the Irish Humanities Alliance at the Royal Irish Academy to mark the completion of the first phase of the Bilateral Framework between the Irish and Scottish governments

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Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · Sep 4

The second most downloaded BBC prog, a live audience in millions, which ran for 1000 episodes, was almost entirely-if not entirely-populated by academics with no media training. Think about it and the resources wasted unravelling a mystery that a competent BBC researcher can determine in minutes.

Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · Sep 4

Lovely to hear Melvyn Bragg talking about the big idea behind "In Our Time": to get academics on the air, talking about the subjects they were most passionate & knowledgeable about, without worrying about whether they had "media training".

It's remarkable that this was (& remains) such an odd idea!

Reposted by Murray Pittock, Michael H. Whitworth, Morwenna Ludlow

Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · Sep 4

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Scottish Arts and Humanities Alliance (SAHA) @sahavoice.bsky.social · Sep 2

The event will feature a panel on ‘Culture, collaboration and diaspora', followed by a presentation of exceptional research projects funded by the Ireland-Scotland Bilateral Network Grants.

@murrayp.bsky.social @sonjatiernan.bsky.social ‪ @brirechamber.bsky.social

Programme and tickets 👇

Hybrid event: Irish-Scottish cultural diplomacy and relations | SAHA: The Scottish Arts and Humanities Alliance

A joint initiative of Scottish Higher Education institutions, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities.

saha.scot

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Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · Aug 28

Congratulations to @poncarova.bsky.social that An Staran: Rosg Gàidhlig le Ruaraidh MacThòmais from Acair is on the shortleet for the Meek Prize in this year's Gaelic literature awards-surely the first time a Czech has appeared thus far! @iassl.bsky.social @asls.org.uk @sahavoice.bsky.social

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International Association for the Study of Scottish Literatures @iassl.bsky.social · Aug 26

John Buchan was born on 26 August 1875 #OTD in Perth. To mark the anniversary, @uofglasgow.bsky.social hosted earlier this year a lecture by IASSL trustee @murrayp.bsky.social, who has also written on Buchan for our latest newsletter.
Lecture: tinyurl.com/4dhnta72
Newsletter: tinyurl.com/6sf56zxx

Murray Pittock: The John Buchan 150 Lecture

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

tinyurl.com

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Alanna MacTavish @alannamactavish.bsky.social · Aug 24

First time at the Beyond Borders Festival at Traquair House—left inspired. From @murrayp.bsky.social on John Buchan’s enduring relevance to @humzayousaf.bsky.social with William Dalrymple & Afif Safieh on Gaza, the call to reflect & act was unforgettable. 🔗 bbintfest.com/events/curre...

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Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · Aug 21

saha.scot/vive-le-frin... Vive le Fringe! A corner of France in the heart of Edinburgh @sahavoice.bsky.social

Vive le Fringe! A corner of France in the heart of Edinburgh | SAHA: The Scottish Arts and Humanities Alliance

A joint initiative of Scottish Higher Education institutions, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities.

saha.scot

Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · Aug 19

No livestream. but often on YouTube afterwards

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Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · Aug 19

Good to find Culloden in '10 Scottish History books you need on your shelf' this week !

scotlands-stories.com/10-scottish-...

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Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · Aug 18

On Saturday I will be opening the formal side of the magnificent Beyond Borders Festival at Traquair in conversation with Geoffrey Baskerville on John Buchan at 150, focusing on Buchan's fiction and his political writings & beliefs about empire, Scotland & Zionism. bbintfest.com/events/curre...

Festival Programme - Beyond Borders Festival

bbintfest.com

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Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · Aug 11

Front page Taighde Éireann/Research Ireland:
www.researchireland.ie/news/new-res...

Terrific innovation from Welsh Government/Wales Innovation Network/ HE to rebuild Horizon partnerships. Scotland still missing in action, but we have a big opportunity @sahavoice.bsky.social @eassh.bsky.social

New Research Alliance Award set to drive future Irish-Welsh collaborations - Research Ireland

Aiming to support collaborative programmes of research between Irish and Welsh universities, the Research Alliance Award was launched today by the Wales Innovation Network (WIN) and Taighde Éireann – ...

www.researchireland.ie

Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · Aug 8

At least the Sudetenland was populated by Germans, many of whom did not consent to the Czech state; these areas voted 90%+ to join an independent Ukraine & more than 2 to 1 for Zelensky in 2019. George Washington would never have got such numbers & needed direct French military intervention to win.

ChrisO_wiki @chriso-wiki.bsky.social · Aug 8

1/ The Trump Administration is reportedly finalising a peace proposal that would allow Russia to take over the entirety of the Donetsk region and force Ukraine to surrender the unoccupied portion. All territory currently occupied by Russia would remain under Russian control. ⬇️

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ChrisO_wiki @chriso-wiki.bsky.social · Aug 8

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Scottish Arts and Humanities Alliance (SAHA) @sahavoice.bsky.social · Jul 31

In 2023 @uofglasgow.bsky.social was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize in recognition of the range & impact of the projects undertaken at the @glasgowburns.bsky.social, chiefly Editing & Curating Burns for the 21st Century

More about the project👇
@murrayp.bsky.social
@paulinemackay.bsky.social

Editing Robert Burns for the 21st Century

An AHRC-funded Project to produce a multi-volume edition of the Works of Robert Burns

burnsc21.glasgow.ac.uk

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Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · Jul 29

Very positive discussion on 5th @iassl.bsky.social
World Congress programme and budget yesterday with
Nanjing Normal University colleagues. A new step forward for Scottish Studies in June 2027 in China @asls.org.uk @sahavoice.bsky.social

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Anita Anand @anitaanand.bsky.social · Nov 13

Just a quick introduction. I present Any Answers, The Reith Lectures and PM on Radio 4, I write books about history and I present the Empire Podcast with William Dalrymple.

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Tanner Ogle @twogle.bsky.social · Dec 28

Great Christmas reading this year! @murrayp.bsky.social @gillianobrien.bsky.social

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Christopher Smith @christophersmith.bsky.social · Dec 31

On the opportunity cost of failing – radically failing – to recognise what we can and what we need to do in arts and humanities to develop a national capability that genuinely supports this country’s future agenda.

anatomiesofpower.wordpress.com/2024/12/31/f...

Funding arts and humanities

Arts and humanities research in the UK is consistently producing outstanding work across all disciplines. By all the criteria of judgement, the Research Excellence Framework, league tables (which …

anatomiesofpower.wordpress.com

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University of Glasgow @uofglasgow.bsky.social · Jan 7

Global study reveals 77% want digital access to museum collections.

The study on virtual museums reveals “not just what future audiences want but how museums can adapt to meet these demands”, says report co-author UofG's @murrayp.bsky.social.

Report: gla.ac/4h1XQLe

Largest survey of its kind charts immersive digital future for museums worldwide

A global survey has revealed an overwhelming public interest in accessing museum collections through virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR) technologies.

gla.ac

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Petra Johana Poncarová @poncarova.bsky.social · Jan 15

Ruaraidh Erskine, born 156 years ago, on 15 January 1869 in Brighton. @erskineproject.bsky.social website now offers the first detailed overview of his own contributions to the 7 Scottish magazines he established and edited: erskine.glasgow.ac.uk/people/ruara...

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Aine Allardyce @ahallardyce.bsky.social · Mar 8

So looking forward to this lecture next week @uofglasgow.bsky.social

Murray Pittock : @murrayp.bsky.social · Mar 2

Nan Spowart with some tasters for the Buchan 150 lecture in today's Sunday National @ahallardyce.bsky.social @uofgnews.bsky.social www.thenational.scot/news/2497415...

Professor hails 'prophet' Buchan ahead of lecture marking 150th anniversary

HE is regarded as the father of the modern spy novel but John Buchan’s less well-known political views on Scottish nationalism and fascism deserve…