Black Oot Here: Black Lives in Scotland [Paperback]

What does it mean to be Black in Scotland today? How are notions of nationhood, Scottishness, and Britishness implicated in this? Why is it important to archive and understand Black Scottish history? Reflecting on the past to make sense of the present, Francesca Sobande and layla-roxanne hill explore the history and contemporary lives of Black people in Scotland. Based on intergenerational interviews, survey responses, photography, and analysis of media and archived material, this book offers a unique snapshot of Black Scottish history and recent 21st century realities. Focusing on a wide range of experiences of education, work, activism, media, creativity, public life, and politics,Black Oot Herepresents a vital account of Black lives in Scotland, while carefully considering the future that may lie ahead.

Francesca Sobandeis a writer and senior lecturer in digital media studies at Cardiff University, UK. She is the author ofThe Digital Lives of Black Women in Britain(Palgrave Macmillan, 2020) andConsuming Crisis: Commodifying Care and COVID-19(SAGE, 2022).


layla-roxanne hillis a writer, curator and organiser, living in Scotland. Her work focuses on anti-colonial cultural contributions, and the way our conditions move us to act. She is also active in the trade union movement, holding elected positions within the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Scottish TUC (STUC).

Presenting a wit account of the historical Black presence in Scotland,Black Oot Herestages a much-needed conversation concerning the racial and capitalist representation of Scottish nationalism and offers a refreshing process of knowledge production towards a blooming possible decolonial future. Sobande and hill centre Black narratives to expand the understanding of wor(l)ds-making in Scotland as they dissect anti-Black racism and offer an invitation to envision Black lives beyond intersecting oppressions. The methodology is sophisticatel#,