Conference: Celebrating 50 Years of The Making of the Crofting Community

Join us to mark the anniversary of one of the most significant books about Highland history.

Tickets are now available for this in-person event, and can be booked via Eventbrite.

James (Jim) Hunter’s The Making of the Crofting Community is one of the most significant and influential books ever published about the Highlands and Islands.

2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of this seminal work, and we will be gathering scholars, creative practitioners, and activists from around the world to commemorate this landmark book and Jim Hunter’s broader career.

Together with the likes of The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil, Runrig, Highland and Islands Enterprise and the establishing of what was to become UHI, The Making has transformed lives and led directly to the ongoing cultural revival in the Highlands.

Jim’s writing, wider career and campaigning was a core element in the rise of the community land buyout movement which has transformed social, economic and cultural lives in the contemporary Highlands and Islands.

Our conference is an opportunity to both mark the significance of The Making and also set the agenda for key debates in our region about land, people, communities and the social, cultural, ecological and economic challenges that we face.