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A Cultural History of UFOs in Scotland

Leaving aside extraordinary explanations for UFOs, this talk, at The Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre on 19th July, traces a history of Scottish UFOs from the 1950s to the 1990s.

A Cultural History of UFOs in Scotland

About A Cultural History of UFOs in Scotland

Flying saucers and UFOs have been part of Scottish cultural life since the early 1950s. Leaving aside extraordinary explanations for UFOs, this talk traces a history of Scottish UFOs from the 1950s to the 1990s. It looks at the different ways in which people have experienced, understood, and made use of UFOs, and the wider histories into which these stories are woven.

What To Expect

The talk will cover some well-known Scottish UFO narratives, such as the Dechmont Woods encounter of 1979 and the Bonnybridge Triangle of the 1990s. But it will situate these stories in a broader and less familiar context that includes Cold War anxieties, the utopian aspirations of contactee groups, the scientific ambitions of UFO investigation, and the memorials and rituals that surround UFOs. This talk arises from Gavin’s research project on the history of UFOs in Scotland.

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