Meet the Scottish Studies Foundation Chair

Professor Kevin James

The Centre for Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph is the oldest and the leading academic unit in North America for research, graduate training, and teaching on Scottish history and Scottish culture. It is thanks to the steadfast and generous support of the Scottish Studies Foundation that the Scottish Studies Centre in the College of Arts at Guelph continues to gain a distinguished reputation as a global centre of research. The Centre’s preeminence is exemplified by the externally endowed Scottish Studies Foundation Chair, whose establishment in 2004 was a single achievement in the advancement of Scottish scholarship.

In June 2020, Professor Kevin James in the Department of History, was appointed to the position of Scottish Studies Foundation Chair and Director of the Centre. Professor James, a leading scholar of modern Scottish tourism and travel history, has held numerous national and international grants and fellowships at leading research centres around the world. He has published three books and many articles in economic, social and cultural history. Professor James has plans to place Guelph at the centre of innovative research uncovering Scotland's past and exploring its future, in a global framework. He is excited to explore partnerships and new initiatives with all sections of the community.

Professor James works in partnership with the McLaughlin Library, which holds within its Archival and Special Collections the largest number of printed and manuscript materials related to Scotland outside the UK. With the exceptional Scottish Studies Collection, and a Department of History that has the largest faculty of Scottish History scholars outside the UK, boasting a long record of graduate success and research innovation, Professor James is well-positioned to expand the impact of the Scottish Studies Foundation Chair.