Introduction: The Scottish Experience in Asia, c.1700 to the Present: Settlers and Sojourners

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the historiography of the Scottish experience in Asia with a focus on three key issues: demographic patterns; impact; and Scottish exceptionalism. It proposes explanations for the small scale of Scottish migration to Asia and suggests that, while the flow was comparatively small, the impact of Scots was conspicuous. This was felt not only in commercial endeavours but culturally and intellectually. Evaluating this impact is attempted by considering issues of exceptionalism and ethnocentrism and situating the Scottish experience in a comparative context with the other nations of the British Isles.