ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on ethnographic research that we conducted over the past 15 years in different Italian locations (Ferraris 2009, Sai 2005, 2008, 2010) and in the UK (Ferraris 1997, 2012, Sai 2010). The principal goal of this chapter is to outline the role of Sikh religion in shaping the relationship between Sikh immigrants and Italian political authorities. To this end, we will see, comparatively, how Gurdwaras (Sikh temples) as physical and institutional spaces have been shaped in different locations, and how public performances of religious belonging can show different degrees of integration within local contexts. Finally, and in relation to these issues, we wish to explore recent attempts at advocating a role for Sikhs in the foundation of the Italian post-Fascist Republic.
