Deviance and Marginality in Early Modern Scotland

An exploration of the complex and multifaceted connection between deviant behaviour and social marginality in Scotland between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.

During the early modern period in Scotland, deviant behaviour often went hand-in-hand with social marginality. Individuals might be ejected from the mainstream after breaching core behavioural standards; the experience of marginality itself often necessitated transgressive behaviour as a survival strategy; and, for some minority groups, the simple maintenance of their accustomed culture or lifestyle was understood through the lens of deviance. To be marginalised and to be deviant were, in many cases, two sides of the same coin.

Focusing on a range of behaviours, including irregular sex, violent and verbal assault, petty criminality, piracy, political dissidence, and religious nonconformity, this book explores the connection between deviance and marginality in early modern Scotland, particularly in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It assesses why certain behaviours were judged to deserve social marginalisation, what mechanisms were used to enforce this, how individual and groups responded to it, and what opportunities existed for avoiding, escaping, or mitigating its effects. The result is a fresh and innovative perspective on early modern Scotland, one that not only recovers the experiences of people long excluded from historical discussion, but also offers insights into the nature of crime and deviance in the pre-modern world. Specific topics covered include sexual deviance, defining words as witchcraft, piracy and the state, the weaponisation of "marginality" in verbal violence, covenanting women, and the connection between deviance and the "common musician".