Resistance to Accommodation: Postcolonial Readings of the Highland Clearances in Iain Crichton Smith’s Consider the Lilies

Abstract: This article re-examines Iain Crichton Smith’s Consider the Lilies (1968) through the lens of postcolonial theory, situating the novel within historical debates on the Highland Clearances and their representation in Scottish literature. While earlier criticism has often treated the Clearances in predominantly socio-economic terms, this study foregrounds their colonial dimension, drawing on Gaelic perspectives and theories of internal colonialism. It shows how Crichton Smith depicts dehumanisation, internalised oppression, and cultural marginalisation, while also portraying the resilience of Mrs Scott and Donald Macleod. By combining postcolonial frameworks with Gaelic cultural contexts, the article argues that Consider the Lilies functions as a counter-narrative to the rhetoric of ‘improvement’, reframing the Clearances as an act of cultural erasure within a wider colonial project. The essay’s contribution lies in grounding theoretical models in close reading, highlighting the novel’s symbolic dimensions, and clarifying its significance for understanding both mid-twentieth-century Scottish identity and the enduring resilience of Gaelic culture.