Aims of the Institute
To explore the experience of the Ulster-Scots Diaspora and its significant influence on the history of the modern world - particularly that of North America.
To unify the histories of the peoples of Ulster, Scotland and America.
To enlighten perspectives of Ulster/Scots-Irish identity within the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
To work with international partners in comparative studies of cultural diversity, regionally, nationally and internationally.
To provide a forum for debate within the diverse heritages of the island of Ireland.
To locate centrally within the island of Ireland and in Scotland the history, heritage, language and cultural impact of the Ulster Scots people.
To promote an awareness and understanding of local history and heritage among the people of Ulster.
Objectives of the Institute
To promote the understanding of Ulster Scots history, culture and heritage through research and scholarship within local, national and international contexts.
To recover for posterity, the significance of the cultural, political and intellectual movement of ideas influenced by the Ulster Scots people.
To develop a transnational approach which will be geographically and politically pluralist and embrace a multiplicity of perspectives. It will stress, as is appropriate for a trans-oceanic enterprise, the fluidity of the cultural process and the dynamism of cultural exchange rather than the parochial rootedness of ethnic history. The approach will be polycentric, broadening intellectual horizons rather than restricting them.
The challenge is a significant one: to harness the intellectual energies of scholars in different countries in a co-operative engagement, sharing expertise and learning in the promotion of research of the highest quality. It is a challenge which the Institute embraces with confidence and enthusiasm in the secure knowledge of the value of its work.