Exploring the social, cultural and political implications of deindustrialisation in twentieth-century Scotland Examines deindustrialisation as long-running, phased and politicised process Draws on documentary source material from a range of industrial sectors, as well as transcripts from over 20 exclusive interviews with industry professionals Relates Scottish Home Rule to long-running debates about economic security and working class welfare Analyses longer history of deindustrialisation, with emergence of assembly goods manufacturing alongside shrinkage of established sectors such as shipbuilding Deindustrialisation is the central feature of Scotland's economic, social and political history since the 1950s, when employment levels peaked in the established sectors of coal, shipbuilding, metals and textiles, along with the railways and docks. This book moves analysis beyond outmoded tropes of economic decline and industrial catastrophe, and instead examines the political economy of deindustrialisation with a sharp eye on cultural and social dimensions that were not uniformly negative, as often assumed. Viewing the long-term process of deindustrialisation through a moral economy framework, the book carefully reconstructs the impact of economic change on social class, gender relations and political allegiances, including a reawakened sense of Scottish national identity. In doing so, it reveals deindustrialisation as a more complex process than the customary body count of closures and job losses suggests, and demonstrates that socioeconomic change did not just happen, but was influenced by political agency.

About the Author
Jim Phillips is Professor in Economic & Social History at the University of Glasgow, and author of Scottish Coal Miners in the Twentieth Century (Edinburgh University Press, 2019).Valerie Wright is Research Associate in History the University of Glasgow, and co-author of High-Rise Homes, Estates and Communities in the Post-War Period (Routledge: London, 2020).Jim Tomlinson is Professor in Economic & Social History at the University of Glasgow, and author of Managing the Economy, Managing the People. Narratives of British Economic Life from Beveridge to Brexit (Oxford University Press, 2017).

Reviews
"This is a work of considerable merit and of significant interest to an academic audience within and beyond the boundaries of economic history. [...] It is a compelling account of the origins of Scotland's new political direction. [...] This tight, well-disciplined book promotes deeper understanding of Scottish deindustrialisation." -Professor William Wardle



Book Information
ISBN 9781474479257
Author Jim Phillips
Format Paperback
Page Count 296
Imprint Edinburgh University Press
Publisher Edinburgh University Press