Dundee McManus hosts historic land reform event

Dr Annie Tindley, Director of the Centre for Scotland's Land Futures at the University of Dundee. Photo: University of Dundee

A University of Dundee doctor will examine the impact of Scotland’s history on modern-day land reform legislation during the “Clearances and Land Reform in Scotland” discussion tonight.

The legacy of public and legal opinion surrounding the controversial Highland Clearances is just one of the topics up for discussion at the Dundee Arts Café in The McManus Art Gallery this evening.

Tonight’s talk - the latest in a series of Dundee Arts Café events - will look at the way in which Scotland’s major land disputes are still relevant in today’s sociopolitical arena.

Dr Annie Tindley is a Senior Lecturer in History and the Director of the Centre for Scotland’s Land Futures at the University of Dundee.

Assynt was part of the Sutherland Estates until the 1920s. It is now part of the Assynt Crofters' Trust. Photo: Annie Tindley

She said: “Scottish politicians are currently grappling with a new Land Reform bill, one that is inextricably linked to the events of the past such as the Highland clearances and the Land War of the 1880s,”

“Perception of these events is imprinted on to the national psyche. The new bill raises important questions about what kind of nation Scotland wants to be – how is its landscape to be managed, and for whose benefit?”

Dr Tindley’s research focus is on landed estates and their aristocratic owners. She looks extensively at the period of land reform instigated from the 1870s onwards, and has even looked at topics as diverse as the impract of river morphology on social history and the history of healthcare provision in the Highlands.

Dr Tindley, who has 15 years of experience with land reform mainly in the Highlands and Islands, added: “I’m interested in the whole land reform debate, as well as how history has been used to inform current land ownership patterns in general.

“I’ll be unpacking how history has been used with this topic. I did work on the Sutherland estate, which was previously the largest landed estate in Western Europe during the 19th century.”

Dundee Arts Café is a programme of talks showcasing arts research and developments taking place locally. The series is organised by the Universities of Dundee and Abertay, and Dundee City Council’s Leisure & Culture department.

Each event lasts for one hour, with speakers talking about their work before the floor is opened to an informal audience-led discussion.

“Clearances and Land Reform in Scotland” takes place at The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum at 6pm on Tuesday, 1st December. The free event has limited seating, with visitors advised to arrive early.

For more information about the event, please visit the Dundee Arts Café website. [www.dundeeartscafe.co.uk]