Background

The RCAHMS Centenary Workshops are designed to encourage collaborative investigation into a research proposition in an early stage of its development. The funding from the Royal Society of Edinburgh will support a range of seminars or workshops, which will advance the exploration of the topics in the course of 2007-2008. RCAHMS was extremely pleased to be one of the first recipients of this new award and the outcomes of the workshops will inform discussion of its future policies in survey and collecting.

All the workshops concern important aspects of Scottish culture and society, where research could contribute significantly to the public understanding of national cultural identity and the cultivation of a more informed cultural awareness in Scotland. The subjects have been selected for their wide-ranging interest to students and non-specialist audiences, as well as their current relevance to the perception of Scottish culture.

Because of the size of the hall, attendance is by invitation only, but abstracts of the papers and a summary of the discussion will be posted on the web site following each workshop. A web log, open to all who wish to participate in discussion, will be set up following each workshop.

The invited participants, who will include students and young researchers, will be drawn from a wide range of Higher Educations and Cultural Institutions throughout Scotland, with others coming from England, Wales and elsewhere in Europe. The potential research benefits that may arise from the interaction of these bodies in the context of place, landscape and material culture will be explored, and outcomes are likely to be proposals for further research on aspects of the subjects of the Workshops.