Jo MacDonald
The past, present and future of a community-owned estate: building resilient ‘future heritage’ in West Harris
Supervised by Dr Iain Robertson (Centre for History), Dr Domhnall Uilleam Stiùbhart (Sabhal Mòr Ostaig), and Linda Armstrong (The West Harris Trust).
Email: 15021895@uhi.ac.uk
Jo is a native Gaelic speaker from the Isle of Harris and has had a lifelong interest in the history, literature, material culture, folklore and popular culture of the Highlands and Islands. She has a particular passion for the oral history and Gaelic bardic tradition of Harris.
Following MA (Hons) and MPhil (Research) degrees at the University of Glasgow, Jo taught Gaelic Language and Literature in the university’s Department of Celtic, before moving to Inverness for her current role as Senior Translation Officer for The Highland Council.
Jo has also spent almost ten years as a Gaelic language tutor, providing distance learning classes to national and international students for Sabhal Mòr Ostaig – UHI.
Jo returned to part-time study in 2015 when she embarked upon an MSc in Material Culture and Highland History at SMO – UHI, graduating with Distinction in 2020 and also receiving the Farquhar MacIntosh Award for Academic Excellence. Her MSc dissertation was entitled ‘Aimhreit is Àiteachas: Mar a Shuidhicheadh Machaire Na Hearadh Eadar an Dà Chogadh’ (Agitation and Agriculture: the Settlement of the Harris Machair in the Inter-War Period).
Jo’s project at the Centre for History is a Collaborative Doctoral Award funded by the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities. It aims to research, preserve, and reinterpret the 20th century history and heritage of West Harris, with particular emphasis on the estate’s management under the Department of Agriculture for Scotland from the 1930s until its transition to community ownership in 2010. The research will adopt a dual approach: a perspective ‘from above’, involving archival investigation of historical documents, and one ‘from below’ employing contemporary interviews and oral histories within the current community, focusing on the lived experiences and management of the estate.
In collaboration with the West Harris Trust, the project will also identify community aspirations for the future of local heritage through purposeful engagement and collaboration with stakeholders. It will develop evidence-based recommendations and strategies for sustainable heritage practices, ensuring that these align with community needs and values.
Alongside the thesis, it is hoped that a final exhibition and digital archive of audio-visual history and heritage materials will serve as a lasting resource for the community.
Jo divides her time between Inverness and Harris and feels very fortunate to have the opportunity to combine part-time study with her now part-time employment.