Glasgow Women’s Library (GWL) celebrated its 30th anniversary in September 2021. As we now enter our fourth decade we ‘look back to move forward’ through our 30 Years of Changing Minds Blog Series by staff and volunteers.
A conversation with Syma Ahmed: The importance of ‘She Settles in the Shields.’
Over one hundred pages of meaningful stories centered around the histories of migrant women in the south side of Glasgow makes up the contents of She Settles in the Shields. Examining their lives before and after their move to Scotland, the book is both a historical document and social necessity, inviting the reader to contemplate the stories and voices of the unheard women of Pollokshields. ‘She Settles in the Shields’ particularly emphasises the experiences of women of colour within this community, as unfortunately they often go the most neglected, but make up a key demographic of this area and deserve to have their stories heard.
The book explores multiple themes such as, issues of loneliness and alienation, instances of racism, language barriers, changes to climate, etc that seemed to be a commonly shared experience for many of the women in this book. Simultaneously, although the book does highlight the trials and tribulations associated with the women’s move to Scotland, it too shines a light on the positive aspects of their migration and what has been learnt from their journey’s.
She settles in the Shields is as beautiful as it is educational. Having recently sat down with Syma Ahmed, one of the core researchers for the book, I had the privilege of receiving a first hand account of the makings of She Settles in the Shields and the importance of why it should exist. From citing some of her favourite stories during the data collection process to emphasising the obstacles faced by the group interviewed, Syma expressed how ignoring the voices of these women could be viewed in tandem with ignoring a key element of Scottish history as a whole, that their story is very much a part of the overall story. Syma explained that the book had to be made when it did, with some level of time pressure, so the first generation stories didn’t go unheard forever. It is always important to hear from neglected parts of society, learning about their lived experiences comparatively to other communities and that is what makes this book so unique and special, it had to be made, otherwise these stories would remain unknown to the public forever and that most certainly does seem like a terrible shame.
Furthermore, during the course of my interview with Syma she elaborated on the positive response that the book had on the women who were featured within its pages. A concrete document validating and celebrating these female experiences now existed, which I’m sure was a wonderful and relatable thing to see for many women in the community. Although there may have been a minor rush in getting the first instalment of She Settles in the Shields out to the public, based on the fact that many of the women in the first generation stories were ageing quite significantly now, the Glasgow Women’s Library has continued to follow up on the lives of these women through the next generation. Hopefully this commitment made by the Women’s Library will maintain that these voices remain heard and appreciated for a long time to come.
She Settles in the Shields can be borrowed from the wonderful shelves of our lending library.
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