One theme of Douglas Stuart's Young Mungo is the quotidian experience of violence. In part, this violence comes from warring sectarian gangs, whose vicious rivalry wreaks havoc in Glasgow's East End. Enmity between Protestants and Catholics has a long history in Glasgow, as well as Scotland more generally. It can be traced back to the 17th century and, while no longer as prevalent as it was in Young Mungo's late 20th-century setting, remains today.

The origins of Protestant and Catholic antagonism in Scotland stem from a conflict between the Protestant King William of Orange and the Catholic King James VII of Scots (also known as King James II of England). In 1688, King William, then ruler of the Netherlands and the husband of James's Protestant daughter Mary, invaded England and deposed James, the sitting ruler. Strangely enough, William came because he had been invited. As a Catholic ruler in Anglican surroundings, James was an unpopular king, and the nation's hostility had ...