Living Apart? Place, Identity and South Asian Residential Choice

Abstract

This paper looks at changing patterns of residence for South Asians (Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi and other South Asians as represented in the census) in Greater Glasgow, as well as considering what South Asians' motivations for choice of residential location are, and how these relate to issues of personal identity. Providing a single account for the city of Glasgow proves difficult, since there are big differences in experience between traditional areas of settlement and suburbs north of the city centre, compared with those in the south of the city. Whilst the study finds evidence of greater residential mixing by South Asians within the city (contrary to the self-segregation claim), there are also indications that these are somewhat ‘bounded choices’ made by people trying to balance competing identities and cultural claims and aspirations, and not simply a desire to ‘mix’. Equally, one must be careful to interpret suburbanisation as a particular form of ‘integration’ founded on a normality that involves greater privatism and socio-economic aspirations and little expectation of social interaction with white neighbours.

Keywords:

• Discrimination
• segregation
• mixing
• ethnic identity

Notes

¹ For a fuller account of the research see McGarrigle (2009).

² East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire.

³ Bangladeshi and Other South Asian homeowners were not interviewed as they were very small in number in the case study areas.

⁴ This evidence comes from the qualitative interviews. An analysis of housing transactions by ethnic origin (not possible yet) would be required to quantify this movement.

⁵ This has since changed in the north of the city, where social housing estates have been used as reception areas of asylum seekers and refugees, although obviously this pattern is not the product of voluntary movements.

⁶ An alternative measure, the Segregation Index (see Gorard & Taylor, 2002), was also calculated for both periods and showed a similar 5-point reduction in segregation over the decade.