In this lecture, Prof Devine argued that over the past twenty five years Scotland has
undergone a remarkable series of changes in economy, society and culture. While
they are similar in scope and scale to those of the Industrial Revolution of the 19th
century, they have largely been unnoticed or ignored. Prof Devine asked the
questions 'how did we arrive here?' and 'how does this view sit with the more usual
view of Scotland as a downtrodden underperforming underdog?'.