ABSTRACT
Govanhill developed with the industrialisation of Glasgow and the arrival of newcomers who were seeking to improve their economic circumstances. This chapter explores the ways in which cultural and religious identities have been asserted and acknowledged in the past, examines the issues relating to fieldwork in the Govanhill of the 1990s. The Irish, Italian, Jewish and Pakistani immigrants who played a part in the history of Govanhill did not define themselves solely as victims of a hostile wider population but asserted aspects of their identity in an interactive process. Exclusionary practices were maintained well after the initial immigrants had settled in Glasgow, and were applied to their Scottish-born children. Historical comparison of Irish, Italian, Jewish and Pakistani migration to Glasgow suggests some similarities in the assertion and acknowledgement of cultural and religious identity. Mosques play a key role in a Muslim community. Large mosques often accommodate children's religious mstruction, language classes, a library and other community facilities.
