ABSTRACT

This book brings a broad, holistic approach to the study of the phenomena of the global Sikh community referred to collectively as the Panth. With contributions by an interdisciplinary range of experts, the volume provides insight into current debates and discussions around Sikh identity in the twenty-first century. It examines the terms Sikh, Sikhism and ‘Sikhi’ and considers how those ‘outside of the margins’ fit into larger definitions of the wider Panth. Both the secular and religious dimensions of being a Sikh are explored and lived experience is a central theme throughout. The chapters engage with issues of authority and diversity as well as representation as Sikhs become increasingly settled and active within their diasporic locales. The book includes a variety of case studies and makes a valuable contribution to the growing field of Sikh studies.

chapter |30 pages

Sikhi/sm, Sikhs and Sikh Studies

Contextualizing Diversity of Histories, Practices and Identities

part I|102 pages

Histories

chapter 1|18 pages

Academic History and Sikh Studies

Is It Time to Configure a Disciplinary Manifesto?

chapter 3|20 pages

Guru Gobind Singh and the Khalsa

chapter 5|22 pages

India, Pakistan and the Sikhs

The Kartarpur Corridor in Its Historical and Political Perspective

part II|106 pages

Lived Religion/Lived Sikhi

chapter 6|19 pages

Looking for Langar

The Promise of Commensality, the Praxis of Ethics, and Some Problems of Modernity

chapter 8|22 pages

Lived Experiences in the Sikh Diaspora

Diversities, Differentiation, Gender Narratives and Challenges to Tradition

chapter 9|23 pages

Sevā, Vand Chakko, and Sarbat da Bhala

Sikh Humanitarianism in Global Perspective

chapter 10|24 pages

Punj Pyarian

Artistic Expressions of Sikh Existentiality

part III|116 pages

Identities

chapter 11|19 pages

Speech Unites, Script Divides

Destruction of Panjab's Shared Cultures of Piety by Religion, Language and Script

chapter 13|21 pages

Sikh Journeys beyond Panjab

Experiences from Eastern and North-Eastern India

chapter 15|21 pages

Sikh Studies and Sikh Institution Building in the United States

Reflections on Academic Research, Public Scholarship, and Advocacy in Post-9/11 America

chapter 16|17 pages

Diversity within the Sikh Panth

Some Critical Reflections