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.
This book brings a broad, holistic approach to the study of the phenomena of the global Sikh community referred to collectively as the Panth.
Introduction
Part I
1 Guru Gobind Singh and the Khalsa
Lou Fenech
2 Guru Granth Sahib in the writings of western women
Eleanor Nesbitt
3 Academic History and Sikh Studies: Is it Time to Configure a Disciplinary
Manifesto?
Harjot Oberoi
4 The Construction of Authority within the Sikh Panth and its Challenges
Pashaura Singh
5 India, Pakistan and the Sikhs: the Kartarpur corridor in its historical and
political perspective
Gurharpal Singh
Part II
6 Sev, Vand Chakko, and Sarbat da Bhala: Sikh Humanitarianism in Global
Perspective
Verne A. Dusenbery
7 Looking for Langar: The Promise of Commensality, the Praxis of Ethics, and
Some Problems of Modernity
Nicola Mooney
8 Adaptation and Incorporation in Ritual Practices at the Golden Temple,
Amritsar
Navtej K. Purewal and Virinder Kalra
9 Punj Pyarian. Artistic Expressions of Sikh Existentiality
Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh
10 Lived Experiences in the Sikh Diaspora: Diversities, Differentiation,
Gender Narratives and Challenges to Tradition
Shinder S. Thandi
Part III
11 Sikh Journeys beyond Panjab: Experiences from Eastern and North-Eastern
India
Himadri Banerjee
12 Panjabis, Panjabi Mexicans, and Sikhs in the United States
Karen Leonard
13 Sikh Studies and Sikh Institution Building in the United States:
Reflections on Academic Research, Public Scholarship, and Advocacy in
Post-9/11 America.
Sangeeta K Luthra
14 Diversity within the Sikh Panth: Some Critical Reflections
Ronki Ram
15 Speech Unites, Script Divides: Destruction of Punjabs Shared Cultures of
Piety by Religion, Language and Script
Anjali Gera Roy
16 Not Asian Enough? The Racialization of Sikhs in Southeast Asia
Jasjit Singh
Opinderjit Kaur Takhar is an Associate Professor of Sikh Studies and Director of the Centre for Sikh and Panjabi Studies at the University of Wolverhampton, UK.
Doris R. Jakobsh is a Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Waterloo, Canada.
