Scottish Ethnology

A Masters by Research (MScR) programme is ideal if you would like to complete a short piece of independent research in Scottish ethnology.

Scottish ethnology provides a fascinating insight into the traditional and popular culture of Scotland, while giving you a set of ethnographical skills that may be applied to other traditional cultures.

Join our community and undertake a 20,000-word dissertation under the guidance of an experienced and well-published supervisor.

Why Edinburgh?

Based in Scotland’s capital and festival city, at the heart of a lively contemporary cultural scene, we are the longest established Scottish Studies department in Scotland.

Over the past 70 years, the archives of the School of Scottish Studies have grown into an unrivalled collection of sound, video, film, and photographic resources that continue to inspire new research and creative work.

We are also the home of the European Ethnological Research Centre, which promotes research into everyday life and society in Scotland through long-term projects such as the Regional Ethnology of Scotland. The Centre's publications include the series Scottish Life and Society: a compendium of Scottish ethnology, and the long-running journals:

* Scottish Studies

* Review of Scottish Culture (ROSC)

Research expertise

We specialise in research and field collection in the following areas:

* custom and belief

* digital folkloristics

* Gaelic and Scottish languages and culture in the diaspora

* heritage studies

* material culture

* oral narrative

* place names

* social organisation

* song and instrumental music and performance

* traditional arts and their contemporary practice

Go beyond the books

Beyond the Books is a podcast from the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at research and the people who make it happen.

Listen to a mix of PhD, early career and established researchers talk about their journey to and through academia and about their current and recent research.