While Scotland has always been multilingual, the relationships between its languages have been fraught with difficulty and contention. As elsewhere, these issues have been linked to political and economic conflicts, concepts of civilizational hierarchy, cultural imperialism, and competing notions of identity. The history of Scottish Gaelic is a crucial part of this network of relationships. Dominant for some time in the Middle Ages, it began a gradual retreat in the twelfth century and then became mainly associated with the Highlands and western islands. Since the eighteenth century, the language has retreated even in those areas while important new pockets of speakers have emerged in Lowland cities through internal migration and, later, second-language learners. Gaelic is currently spoken by only about 1 percent of Scotland's population, but it has remained an important (though often problematic and contested) signifier of Scottishness and of regional Highland and Island identity across the centuries. Moreover, there have been considerable efforts at language preservation and revival. At a time when the language's future is still uncertain and there is a great need for further initiatives to preserve it, Wilson McLeod's Gaelic in Scotland: Policies, Movements, Ideologies offers a timely overview and dispassionate evaluation of previous policies, arguments, progress, and setbacks over the last 150 years. Key areas include government and administration, the legal system, education, and the media. By far the most systematic study of the subject to date, Gaelic in Scotland is not only important in academic and historical terms, but also as a foundation for further discussion in search of the best way forward.

McLeod's interdisciplinary background as a professor of Gaelic who has a doctorate in legal studies is clearly reflected in this monograph, which is positioned at the intersection of law, sociolinguistics, history, and social science. It is also of interest to scholars of education, media studies, and cultural studies, as well as practitioners and activists in education, media, and language policy. This includes not only those specializing in Scottish contexts but also an international audience with a general or comparative interest in language policy. McLeod tackles a wide range of primary sources in English and Gaelic, including reports and policy documents issued by national and local governments and by cultural, educational, media, and religious organizations. He draws on interviews, materials from the press, and other sources.

Recurring themes include different ideas about the relationship between Gaelic and national, regional, and class identities, as well as the appropriate spheres and extent of Gaelic language use. McLeod examines the fault-lines that run between ideals and practical compromises; traditionalist and modernizing orientations; rural western heartlands and other parts of Scotland; as well as native speakers and learners. Problems of funding and implementation are also central.

McLeod presents these issues in relation to wider developments in Scotland and abroad, such as the changing fortunes of Scottish nationalism, international debates on human and minority rights, European Community and European Union regionalism and language policies, and post-Brexit politics. There are also comparisons with the situation of other minority languages in the British Isles and elsewhere, particularly Welsh and Irish but also Scots, Basque, Canadian French, and Māori.

After a brief introduction, the first two main chapters give a general introduction to historical, sociolinguistic, and ideological frameworks that have shaped the position of Gaelic in Scotland since the Middle Ages. Chapters 3 to 8 cover the main period of McLeod's focus, from 1872 to the present. In chapter 3, McLeod moves from the introduction of general state education and late-nineteenth-century cultural initiatives to World War I. In chapter 4, McLeod discusses the years from 1919 to 1944, which brought new education legislation, socioeconomic crises that influenced language attitudes, the Scottish cultural renaissance, and important Gaelic youth work. Looking at the years 1945–1974 in chapter 5, McLeod charts regional modernization projects, more radical and grassroots-based activism, and the emergence of various trends that have remained important since: direct government funding, public signage, expanding Gaelic education into the Lowlands, and media provision via radio and television.

McLeod identifies a main phase of revitalization between 1975 and 1996, which he discusses in chapter 6. It entailed major increases in confidence, heartland activism, institutional support, educational initiatives, language planning, and optimism about the language's economic potential. At the same time, there was concern over a disconnect between traditional grassroots communities and the new national, organizational, and professional players on the Gaelic stage. McLeod begins chapter 7 in 1997, when the New Labour government and devolution provided opportunities for restructuring, systematization, and legal security. High points include the first all-Gaelic schools and the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005. In chapter 8 McLeod charts implementation problems that have limited the Act's effectiveness from 2006 to 2020. The Gaelic television channel established in 2008 was another milestone, though again not without problems. Education also presents a mixed picture. Ongoing heartland decline remains a key problem, despite institutionalization, diversification, and the emergence of new speakers elsewhere. In the conclusion McLeod summarizes main findings and obstacles, charts alternative roads that might have been taken, and identifies potential trajectories for the future. This is followed by a brief appendix offering a timeline of major developments.

Gaelic in Scotland provides not only an invaluable general overview but also an impressive wealth of factual detail and references, along with meticulous analyses of individual documents and their implications. McLeod's notably balanced account deconstructs some widespread but overly simplistic assumptions about Gaelic issues, charts significant progress, and provides a clear-eyed assessment of ongoing problems that must be more committedly addressed.

Though nonspecialists might at times find Gaelic in Scotland a little too detailed for their purposes, it always remains accessible to anyone willing to engage with the subject, as it provides all necessary background information and uses a very clear style. It will be helpful to a wide range of scholars, activists, policy makers, and administrators. Relatedly, it is worth noting that more affordable digital and paperback editions are available.