Michael Newton was awarded a Ph.D. in Celtic Studies from the University of Edinburgh in 1998 for his dissertation The Tree in Scottish Gaelic Literature and Tradition. He has written several books and numerous articles on many aspects of Gaelic tradition and history, including Bho Chluaidh gu Calasraid (1999), We're Indians Sure Enough: The Legacy of the Scottish Highlanders in the United States (2001), and Warriors of the Word: The World of the Scottish Highlanders (2009). His research interests and areas of expertise include Scottish Highland immigrant literature and history; ethnicity and identity politics; human ecology; dance traditions.