Catastrophe at St Kilda: Vulnerability and Resilience in an Island Community

St Kilda's cultural continuity may have been disrupted by two catastrophic events, which depleted its population and led to repopulation from the MacLeods' domains. This repopulation introduced Hebridean folklore, Norse words for seabirds and boats, and toponyms related to key seascape features, potentially forming a lingua franca that aided cultural resilience during major population renewals. The study suggests that St Kilda's relatively well-documented ethnography can provide insights into the broader, less recorded Hebridean region. It examines how economic and political motivations for repopulation, combined with vulnerability to disease and violence, shaped island communities' resilience.

Fleming, A. (2026). Catastrophe at St Kilda: Vulnerability and Resilience in an Island Community. Scottish Studies, 42(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.2218/4mh4vc23