Women’s Voices and the Rewriting of Scottish History: Feminist Interventions in Contemporary Literature

Abstract

For centuries, Scottish national identity was shaped through narratives dominated by masculine heroism, political rebellion, and historical myth-making. In recent decades, however, women writers have redefined the contours of Scottish literature by reclaiming silenced histories and introducing feminist perspectives that challenge patriarchal, religious, and national hierarchies. This paper examines how authors such as Liz Lochhead, Jackie Kay, Janice Galloway, Ali Smith, and Denise Mina employ narrative, poetry, and performance to recover women’s experiences from the margins of history. It argues that contemporary Scottish feminist writing transforms the nation’s literary landscape by blending personal and political voices, reconstructing cultural memory, and asserting alternative forms of belonging and identity.

DOI - https://doi.org/10.65525/SVUP.9788199392045.2025.26-33