Michael Newton (academic)
Michael Newton is a minority language activist and Scottish Gaelic scholar. He was born in 1965 and raised in a bilingual (Spanish and English speaking) community in Southern California.[1] He embarked on a career in computer game design as a teenager, becoming one of the creators of the pioneering game Dungeon Master at FTL Games. After graduating magna cum laude from the University of San Diego in 1990 with a degree in computer science,[2] he switched his focus to Scottish Gaelic studies and in 1998 was awarded a PhD in Celtic Studies from the University of Edinburgh.
Newton has produced a number of scholarly projects regarding Scottish Gaelic, including books, articles, edited volumes, blog posts, a video documentary, and digital humanities multimedia projects exploring Celtic language poets in North America,[3] for which he has received numerous awards, including the Coralys Award in 2002 and 2003 and the inaugural 2014 Saltire Award from St. Andrews University Scottish Heritage Center. He is a co-founder and board member of Urras Gàidhlig nan Stàitean Aonaichte (Scottish Gaelic Society of the United States).[4]
Much of his work challenges the negative stereotypes that have been projected onto Gaelic society by anglophone authorities and anglocentric sources, drawing on the methods of post-colonial studies.[1] He is one of the only scholars currently studying the legacy of the Scottish Gaelic immigrant communities of the Americas, especially by locating and analyzing the remains of Scottish Gaelic literature.[5]
He is currently employed in digital humanities at the University of North Carolina.[2]
Seanchaidh na Coille
The author Diana Gabaldon, who wrote the Outlander series, wrote a preface to Seanchaidh na Coille.[6][7] The book was shortlisted for the 2016 Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing[8] and was selected as one of the Best Scottish Books of 2015 by the Association of Scottish Literary Studies.[7]
Bibliography
Books
- Seanchaidh na Coille / The Memory-Keeper of the Forest: Anthology of Scottish-Gaelic Literature of Canada (2015)
- The Naughty Little Book of Gaelic (2014)[2][9]
- (ed.) Celts in the Americas (2013)
- Warriors of the Word: The World of the Scottish Highlanders (2009) — nominated for 2009 Katharine Briggs (the Folklore Society)
- (ed.) Dùthchas nan Gàidheal: Selected Essays of John MacInnes (2006) — 2006 Research Book of the Year of the Saltire Society
- We're Indians Sure Enough: The Legacy of the Scottish Highlanders in the United States (2001)
References
- 1 2 "MICHAEL NEWTON". Celtic Life International. Celtic Life International Magazine. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- 1 2 3 Newton, Michael. "Michael Newton CV". unc.academia.edu. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- ↑ Newton, Michael. "Celtic Poets of North America". unc.edu. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- ↑ Newton, Michael. "Board Member Bio Michael Newton". Urras Gàidhlig nan Stàitean Aonaichte. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- ↑ Newton, Michael. "Scottish-American Pride: Only Skin Deep?". The Virtual Gael. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- ↑ Crouse, Liam Alastair. "Lèirmheas leabhair: Seanchaidh na Coille". Dàna (in Scottish Gaelic). Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- 1 2 Stroh, Dr. Silke. "Seanchaidh na Coille / The Memory-Keeper of the Forest: Anthology of Scottish-Gaelic Literature of Canada edited by Michael Newton". The Bottle Imp. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ↑ "2016 Atlantic Book Festival Events Listing, April 20-27". Atlantic Book Awards. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ↑ Newton, Michael. "Michael Newton". unc.academia.edu. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
External links
- Singing against the Silence, a documentary about Scottish Gaelic renaissance in Nova Scotia produced and narrated by Newton
- Newton's blog, The Virtual Gael
- Celtic Poets of North America