“There was a priest, a rabbi and an imam …”: an analysis of urban space and religious practice in london's east end, 1685–2010

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article explores the relationship between patterns of immigrant settlement and religious practice in the East End of London over the past 350 years. It questions what needs religious attendance satisfied for the incomer and additionally examines the role played by the religious organization; variously as center for charitable support, locus of social organization in an “alien” culture, bridge between cultures, and source of economic opportunity. Using the combination of historical investigation and spatial analysis—applying space syntax methods of mapping networks of movement and patterns of settlement—the article sheds light on the interconnections between the various roles of the chapel, small synagogue, and mosque in this area of first settlement. The article ends with a discussion regarding the way in which configuration of public space transforms the individual migrant identity. The article concludes that places of worship satisfy a variety of needs in the life of the migrant and that over time religious need and external practice change—some becoming more, and some becoming less in tune with those of the host society.