Mathew Nicolson

Affiliated student & steering committee member

 Background

After growing up in the Shetland Isles, Mathew moved to Edinburgh to complete his undergraduate degree.  He remained for his MScR and PhD degrees, funded by a HCA Gray Scholarship and a Carnegie PhD Scholarship respectively.  His thesis examines the politics of culture, identity and constitutional change in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles from 1966 to 1999.

Papers delivered

'"The Island Problem": Scottish Local Government Reform and the Creation of the Island Councils, 1966-75' - Scottish History Seminar Series, University of Edinburgh (2021).

'Building an Anti-Apartheid Coalition in Scotland, 1979-1994' - Edinburgh Centre for Global History, University of Edinburgh (2020).

'The Church of Scotland and the Anti-Apartheid Movement,' Scottish Christianity and the World Conference, Scottish Church History Society (2019).

'Anne Hepburn: The Role of Missionaries in Fostering an Anti-Apartheid Campaign in the Church of Scotland' - Political History Research Group, University of Edinburgh (2018).

Teaching Experience

Tutor, 'The Historian's Toolkit' (2020).

Tutor, 'Making of the Modern World' (2020).

Tutor, 'The History of Edinburgh' (2019).

Professional Accreditations

Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).

Centre Roles

Mathew is a member of the Centre steering committee and produced its 2020 Showcase Podcast Series.  He has also contributed the following blog posts:

'Alexander Geppert on the post-war production of outer space' (2019).

'Discussion group and solidarity event on Bolsonaro’s Brazil' (2018).

'Emily Brownell on urban spaces and building materials in postcolonial Tanzania' (2018).

'Sonja Levsen on authority and democracy in postwar Western Europe' (2018).