خلاصة:
Existing evidence seems to indicate that Muslims in Scotland have
constructed hyphenated or hybrid identities that draw on religion, ethnicity
and nationality. However, minor attention has been given to the differences
in importance, meanings, and strengths of these identities, or the significance
of their identity markers. Ethnic minority people can be identified with both
their ethnic groups and their country of residence; each identity can be either
strong or weak, or identification with both can be high. The extent and
degree of identification with specific identity markers (such as ethnicity,
nationality or religion) can be varied and subjected to difference. This paper
discusses the importance, meaning, and strength of these markers in
Muslims’ identity negotiation in Scotland through an analysis of the
importance of ethnicity, religion and nation. Drawing on a study based on
twenty-seven semi-structured and qualitative interviews carried out in 2011
with second-generation1 Muslims across Scotland’s major cities and small
towns, this research suggests the importance of social imposition (labelling
behaviour and mis-recognition), family education and cultural ties in varying
the meanings and the strength of second-generation Muslims’ national and
ethnic identities in Scotland. In addition, this paper highlights the
significance of various levels of religiosity in differentiating the meanings
and strength of participants’ religious identities.
ملخص الجهاز:
Nation, Ethnicity and Religion: Second Generation Muslims’ Social Identity in Scotland Reza Bagheri Assistant Professor, Department of Southern African Studies, University of Tehran, Iran (rezabagheri82@ut.
Drawing on a study based on twenty-seven semi-structured and qualitative interviews carried out in 2011 with second-generation1 Muslims across Scotland’s major cities and small towns, this research suggests the importance of social imposition (labelling behaviour and mis-recognition), family education and cultural ties in varying the meanings and the strength of second-generation Muslims’ national and ethnic identities in Scotland.
In this paper, the importance of recognition or non-recognition (Taylor 1992; Honneth 1995; McCrone and Bechhofer 2008; Hopkins and Blackwood 2011; Hopkins 2011; Thompson 2012) of second- 703 704 generation Muslims’ national identity claims and its likely consequences on their sense of belonging to Scotland will be discussed.
For example, Sanaz, a 41 year-old Muslim woman, highlighted the importance of British culture and asserted that her sense of belonging to Britishness is based on residential, educational and cultural markers: 1 In this paper, participants’ identification with their country of origin (such as Pakistan, Bangladesh …) is considered as ethnic identities, and associating with their country of residence (such as Britain or Scotland) is considered as national identities.
[Edinburgh, 20 year-old] This quote highlights that even second-generation participants who were completely integrated into the Scottish society with Scottish education and culture, and had stronger ties with their Scottish or British national identities make a significant amount of affiliation with their ethnic backgrounds because of others’ expectations.