Speaker - George Scott Christian

In the last four years, fundamental questions have arisen about the future of the composite state created by the 1707 Treaty of Union between England and Scotland. In 2014 a majority of Scots voted to ‘remain’ in the Union. Yet in 2016 a large majority (68%) voted to ‘remain’ in the European Union. The Scottish Parliament has recently rejected the government’s Brexit bill, triggering what many believe is a constitutional crisis. Is it? What are the issues in contention? Could Brexit eventually result not only in Britain’s detachment from Europe, but in the dissolution of Britain itself?

George Scott Christian holds a virtually unique place in the British Studies roster for his UT degrees: a B.A. in Plan II in 1982, a J. D. in 1984, an M.A. in 1997, and a Ph.D. in English Literature in 2000. He is a practicing lawyer as well as a teacher in English and History. His scholarly work on the British novel has appeared in the Dickens Studies Annual, and the Thomas Hardy Journal. He has served as a legislative assistant to a Texas State Senator and represents clients before the Texas Legislature. He is a devoted member of British Studies.