Geographies of Faith: The Differing Residential Patterns of the Indian-Hindu, Indian-Sikh and Indian-Muslim Populations of Dundee and Glasgow

This paper examines whether the largest faith groups (Sikh, Hindu and Muslim) within the Indian ethnic populations of Dundee and Glasgow (Scotland) form residential clusters based around their religious affiliations. The residential geographies of the Indian-Hindu, Indian-Sikh and Indian-Muslim populations of each city are explored through a combination of location quotients (LQ), regression and principal components analysis (PCA). Conclusions can be drawn as to whether the mapping of ethnic categories homogenises segregated geographies based around faith affiliation. This allows the paper to explore whether residential trends identified in previous studies as being associated with an Indian ethnic population hold true for all of these faith groups. In particular, the trend for the Indian ethnic population to engage in processes of suburbanisation is investigated with an awareness of the potentially divergent experiences of Indian faith groups. Geographers have claimed that the Indian ethnic population is following a 'different trajectory' in comparison with other ethnic populations (Phillips, 1998) in terms of its level of engagement with suburbanisation. However, this paper will investigate whether all the Indian faith groups are following the same 'trajectory'. Therefore, by providing an analysis that incorporates religion, and analysing the existence of ethnic-faith geographies, the paper points towards new ways of understanding ethnic geographies. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.