A different Scotland is possible. Caledonian Dreaming: The Quest for a Different Scotland offers a penetrating and original way forward for Scotland beyond the current independence debate. It identifies the myths of modern Scotland, describes what they say and why they need to be seen as myths. Hassan argues that Scotland is already changing, as traditional institutions and power decline and new forces emerge. He outlines a prospectus for Scotland to become more democratic and to embrace radical and far-reaching change.

"The only reason to vote is if the vote represents power or change. I don't think it does. I fervently believe that we deserve more from our democratic system than the few derisory tit-bits tossed from the carousel of the mighty." - Russel Brand From national and local elections to the debate on the independence referendum, a large part of Scotland is missing from our political and public debates. This book directly gives voice to the missing people of Scotland as Willie Sullivan (in association with the Electoral Reform Society) investigates why this part of Scotland is lost, asking the missing electorate to articulate why they find themselves so politically disengaged, what their take of mainstream Scotland is and what they feel is lacking, and finally exploring what they feel must be done in order change this for the better. "A large part of Scotland is missing from our political and public debates, what kind of changes are needed for them to engage?" GERRY HASSAN, OpenScotland Series Editor "A lot of people in Scotland have no daily contact with democracy; they have no contact in their immediate personal environment with democracy. That is not just a jigsaw piece that is missing in Scottish democracy; it is a founding stone of democracy that is missing in Scotland." - DEMOCRACY MAX Report

What does ‘masculinity’ mean today? On Being a Man brings together four men to consider the condition of Scottish men, reflect on their own backgrounds and experiences, and confront some of the most difficult issues men face. These include the changing roles of men in Scottish society, the role of work and employment. What it means to be a man is very different from forty years in terms of expectations, relationships, how men relate to partners, bring up children and what constitutes a modern family. However, there is a dark side of Scottish masculinity – seen in the drinking, violent, abusive behaviour of some Scots men, and this book addresses this directly, getting into issues many of us often shy away from confronting. Draws on the wide-ranging voices journalist, writer and broadcaster, David Torrance; founder of a youth employment and mentoring charity, Sandy Campbell; public health researcher, Pete Seaman; and former policeman and head of the violence reduction unit, John Carnochan.

In The Glass Half Full, filmmaker Eleanor Yule and academic David Manderson identify cultural miserablism as an important aspect of Scottish life. Yule and Manderson explore where this bleak take on Scottish life came from, its literary and cultural expressions, and in particular, identify this phenomenon in film and how it has risen to the level of a genre, which audiences domestic and international see as a recognisable story of modern Scotland. In so doing, they itemise the cost of this distorted view of Scottish culture, the caricatures it presents and identify ways in which this is being challenged and has to change for Scotland to mature and have a more accurate, relevant view of itself.

How do we think differently about the Scottish economy, wealth and progress, and the world of work? What would a different kind of economy look like, and what implications would it have? And how do we begin to reframe the ideas of work and economy away from the grotesque assumptions of ‘bubble Britain?’ Experts in their fields, Trebeck, Kerevan and Boyd come together to analyse the positives and negatives of changing the status quo.