Scottish Studies Zoom Talk
Sung into Empire:
War, Patriotism, and Popular Music in Scottish Chapbooks of the Napoleonic Wars
an online talk by Gavin Watson
Saturday, November 21, 2026
11 a.m. EST (Eastern Canada/USA)
4 p.m. UK
We invite you to attend the next in our 2026-2027 series of online Zoom Talks when University of Guelph MA student Gavin Watson will talk about his research dealing with the cultural impacts of Scottish ephemeral song literature during the Napoleonic Wars; in particular, the unifying patriotic and militaristic lyrics that were printed in cheap pamphlets during a time when Britain was increasingly threatened by French invasion.
Gavin Watson
Gavin Watson is a second-year history master's student at the University of Guelph. He received a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) with a History Major and a Bachelor of Education from Brock University. During this time his work was published twice in The General: the undergraduate history journal published by the Brock University Historical Society. Gavin has worked with The Friends of Fort George, a historical non-profit organization in Niagara-on-the-Lake, over the past five years to develop and offer public educational programming at Brock's Monument, Fort Mississauga, and Fort George National Historic Sites. His research interests include cultural history, invented tradition, songs, and conceptions of "Britishness."
To register for this event, kindly contact David Hunter by email at davidhunter@scottishstudies.com. You will then be sent the appropriate Zoom login information. Please register no later than Friday, November 20th. This is a free event, but you are welcome to make a donation to our Scholarship Campaign.
You can donate, either online by clicking on the PayPal button above, or by mail using our donation form which you can access here. Your support will be greatly appreciated.
The Scottish Studies Foundation is a Canadian charitable organization (No.119253490 RR0001). For Canadian residents, a tax receipt will be issued for donations in excess of $10.