Edinburgh Historic Walks was an Institute for Academic Development-funded project run collaboratively with history student Katherine Scott. Katherine devised the project with the aim of challenging the historical neglect of marginalised communities in Edinburgh’s history.
“By recovering and recognising these lost narratives, we take a vital step toward building a more inclusive and equitable society.”
We facilitated monthly heritage walks, each with a different theme, highlighting histories of marginalised scientists, writers, activists, and educators, as well as a Pride month feature on queer desire and sex work in 19th century Edinburgh. Researching these histories involved meticulous interrogation of archive material, pouring over old maps of Edinburgh, and sleuthing the maze of Old Town to find commemorative plaques and statues.
In a large institution like the University of Edinburgh, a sense of belonging and community can be difficult to achieve. These walks provided an opportunity for staff and students to create this community, and network with a diverse group of people brought together by an interest to learn more about the city.
The project was also established to connect history with space. We live, work and travel in a city with a rich history. Researching four locations and points of history accessible within a 30 minute journey seemed a challenge at first, but was easily met by the density of history in Edinburgh. The walks themselves therefore served as a visualisation of the city’s heritage, and emboldened the idea that marginalised communities have always existed, even if their histories – and hence, data points – have so often been erased.
The walks received brilliant feedback from attendees, with many asking for the project to continue. The conversations sparked by the walks were exactly what the project set out to do, with attendees engaging with both each other and the city’s extensive history.
“Thanks both for that brilliant walk – you’re amazing guides! It was really interesting, funny and just really, really cool that you organised it”
Since the tours concluded, the University’s Wikimedian in Residence has encouraged and facilitated lots of the research being added to Wikipedia, a resource in which women and minorities are historically underrepresented. The Information Services Group also commissioned a booklet to be published about the project: “Edinburgh Historic Walks: A Summary of Hidden Histories” by Katherine Scott and Katie Grieve. These opportunities allow the research undertaken in the project to exist not only in the collective memory of the attendees, but also in a tangible way, through published, sharable, open-access resources.
You can read more about the histories featured in each walk under the Projects tag on this blog.
