University of Otago

Graduate Student, History & Art History

Other Affiliations: University of Guelph, History

PhD Candidate

Thesis Title: The Pipe Band Diaspora: Bands, Bonnie Lassies, and Scottish Identity 1896-2009

About

Erin C M Grant, BA(Hons), MA, FSA (Scot) is currently investigating the topic of gender in ethnomusicology and Scottish history. While the Great Highland Bagpipe is typically viewed as a masculine instrument designed as a weapon of war, there are other traditions within its history which have been forgotten. Her research explores questions regarding how many female pipers (and drummers) have there been both in Scotland and the Scottish Diaspora, what kind of contribution have they given the piping community and why do we know so little about them?

In order to analyze this problem, Erin is focusing on the phenomenon of women's pipe bands, which began to appear in Scotland in the 1920s. Almost exclusively named "Ladies Pipe Bands", they also existed in areas with prolific Scots immigration such as New Zealand, which boasted a number of these women's bands throughout the twentieth century. What is the definition of a "Ladies" pipe band? What purpose did they serve? How can they be explained in relation to other Scottish cultural groups? Erin's research will address these questions as well as the historical imbalance that exists with gender in piping history. 

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