The Invisible Island: Immigration, Environment, and a New Europe on Big Island, Nova Scotia

This article examines Scottish immigration to Nova Scotia from an environmental perspective. Big Island, which has been long absent from the historical record, is a microcosm of Alfred Crosby’s New Europe thesis. The environmental historian’s seminal theory has never been applied to the Scottish immigration story, in Canada or abroad, and applying it to Big Island reveals a strong cultural and geographic enclave that serves as a testament to the enduring power of place