In this chapter we explore how ‘race’ and ethnicity operate in Scotland. Put simply, is Scotland open and liberal; or is there racism on or just below the surface? Specifically, we will:

• examine the assumptions and assertions about ‘race’ and ethnicity in Scotland.
• review what is meant by terms like ‘race’ and ethnicity.
• assess what Scotland looks like today in terms of multiculturalism and multiracialism, especially in comparison to the other ‘home nations’ of England and Wales.
• analyse what ‘being Muslim’ means in contemporary Scotland, and whether you can be Muslim and Scottish.
• survey the extent to which ‘native’ Scots are willing to accept non-white people as Scottish.