Sikh Identity

Author : Opinderjit Kaur Takhar
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 235 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2016-12-05
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781351900102

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Sikh Identity by Opinderjit Kaur Takhar Pdf

It is commonly assumed that all Sikhs are the same, but the very existence of different groups who have varying beliefs and practices within the Sikh community shows that a corporate identity for the Sikh community is not possible and serves to alienate a substantial proportion of Sikhs from the overall fold of the Sikh faith. Introducing the beliefs and practices of a range of individual Sikh groups, this book addresses the issue of Sikh identity across the Sikh community as a whole but from the viewpoint of different types of Sikh. Examining the historical development of Sikhism from the period of Guru Nanak to the present day, the author takes an in-depth look at five groups in the Sikh community - the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha; the Namdharis; the Ravidasis; the Valmikis; and the Sikh Dharma of the Western hemisphere (associated with the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization - 3HO). Their history, beliefs and practices are explored, as well as their diverse and shared identities. Concluding that there is no authoritative yardstick with which to assess the issue of Sikh identity, the author highlights Sikhism's links to its Hindu past and suggests a federal Sikh identity with one or two fundamental beliefs at the core and individual groups left to express their own unique beliefs and practices.

Author : Pashaura Singh,Norman Gerald Barrier
Publisher : Manohar Publishers and Distributors
Page : 408 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 1999
Category : History
ISBN : UOM:39015043014342

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Sikh Identity by Pashaura Singh,Norman Gerald Barrier Pdf

Sikhs Have Struggled With Questions Of Identity For Over Five Centries. Various Events During This Century Have Forced Sikhs In The Punjab And Diaspora To Rethink Assumptions And Relationships Both Within The Community And Outside. Papers In The Volume Address The Core Issue Of Sikh Identity And Are Organized In Three Sections. Section One Deals With Issues Relating To Symbols Of Identity And Sikh Tradition; Section Two Relates To Recent Sikh History And Issues Of Identity And Section Three Addresses Political, Social Issues And Contemporary Sikh Identity. An Glossary Of Punjabi Terms And Index Help The Reader Better Understand The Presentation.

Author : W. H. McLeod
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 158 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 1989
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : UOM:39015014935897

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Who is a Sikh? by W. H. McLeod Pdf

What is Sikhism and who is a Sikh? This book surveys the history of the sect, showing how various circumstances influenced the criteria by which people could be identified. One belief is that Sikhism is the complete acceptance of the teachings of the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh. According to the tradition, a true Sikh must be of the Khalsa, the community founded by Guru Singh; yet, there are many who belong to families with a Khalsa heritage but no longer observe the tradition in its full rigor. And, there are many others who regard themselves as Sikhs but do not follow the discipline of the Khalsa, such as the so-called Sahaj-dhari Sikhs. McLeod examines these discrepansies and disagreements, offering a new discussion and analysis of who and what defines Sikhism.

Author : W. H. McLeod
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 314 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Religion
ISBN : STANFORD:36105110303067

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Exploring Sikhism by W. H. McLeod Pdf

McLeod's interest embraces all aspects of the life and beliefs of the Sikh people, and is of particular value as an outsider's research into a living religious faith."

Author : Giorgio Shani
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 234 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2007-12-06
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781134101887

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Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age by Giorgio Shani Pdf

Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age examines the construction of a Sikh national identity in post-colonial India and the diaspora and explores the reasons for the failure of the movement for an independent Sikh state: Khalistan. Based on a decade of research, it is argued that the failure of the movement to bring about a sovereign, Sikh state should not be interpreted as resulting from the weakness of the ‘communal’ ties which bind members of the Sikh ‘nation’ together, but points to the transformation of national identity under conditions of globalization. Globalization is perceived to have severed the link between nation and state and, through the proliferation and development of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), has facilitated the articulation of a transnational ‘diasporic’ Sikh identity. It is argued that this ‘diasporic’ identity potentially challenges the conventional narratives of international relations and makes the imagination of a post-Westphalian community possible. Theoretically innovative and interdisciplinary in approach, it will be primarily of interest to students of South Asian studies, political science and international relations, as well as to many others trying to come to terms with the continued importance of religious and cultural identities in times of rapid political, economic, social and cultural change.

Author : Jaspal Kaur Singh
Publisher : Routledge Chapman & Hall
Page : 204 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2022-02
Category : Feminism
ISBN : 0367494639

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Violence and Resistance in Sikh Gendered Identity by Jaspal Kaur Singh Pdf

This book examines the constructions and representations of male and female Sikhs in Indian and diasporic literature and culture through the consideration of the role of violence as constitutive of Sikh identity. How do Sikh men and women construct empowering identities within the Indian nation-state and in the diaspora? The book explores Indian literature and culture to understand the role of violence and the feminization of baptized and turbaned Sikh men, as well as identity formation of Sikh women who are either virtually erased from narratives, bodily eliminated through honor killings, or constructed and represented as invisible. It looks at the role of violence during critical junctures in Sikh history, including the Mughal rule, the British colonial period, the Partition of India, the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India, and the terror of 9/11 in the United States. The author analyzes how violence reconstitutes gender roles and sexuality within various cultural and national spaces in India and the diaspora. She also highlights questions related to women's agency and their negotiation of traumatic memories for empowering identities. The book will interest scholars, researchers, and students of postcolonial English literature, contemporary Indian literature, Sikh studies, diaspora studies, global studies, gender and sexuality studies, religious studies, history, sociology, media and films studies, cultural studies, popular culture, and South Asian studies.

Author : Giorgio Shani
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 215 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2007-12-06
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781134101894

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Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age by Giorgio Shani Pdf

Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age examines the construction of a Sikh national identity in post-colonial India and the diaspora and explores the reasons for the failure of the movement for an independent Sikh state: Khalistan. Based on a decade of research, it is argued that the failure of the movement to bring about a sovereign, Sikh state should not be interpreted as resulting from the weakness of the ‘communal’ ties which bind members of the Sikh ‘nation’ together, but points to the transformation of national identity under conditions of globalization. Globalization is perceived to have severed the link between nation and state and, through the proliferation and development of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), has facilitated the articulation of a transnational ‘diasporic’ Sikh identity. It is argued that this ‘diasporic’ identity potentially challenges the conventional narratives of international relations and makes the imagination of a post-Westphalian community possible. Theoretically innovative and interdisciplinary in approach, it will be primarily of interest to students of South Asian studies, political science and international relations, as well as to many others trying to come to terms with the continued importance of religious and cultural identities in times of rapid political, economic, social and cultural change.

Author : Dipankar Gupta
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 1996
Category : Religion
ISBN : UOM:39015038583467

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The Context of Ethnicity by Dipankar Gupta Pdf

Through a study of Sikh extremism in the Punjab, the author argues that ethnic identities are not fixed and permanent, but are dynamic and need to be sociologically contextualized in order to be properly understood.

Author : Harjot Oberoi
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 526 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 1994-12-15
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0226615928

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The Construction of Religious Boundaries by Harjot Oberoi Pdf

In this major reinterpretation of religion and society in India, Oberoi challenges earlier accounts of Sikhism, Hinduism, and Islam as historically given categories encompassing well-demarcated units of religious identity. Through an examination of Sikh historical materials, he shows that early Sikhism recognized multiple identities based in local, regional, religious, and secular loyalties. As a result, religious identities were highly blurred and competing definitions of Sikhism were possible. In the closing decades of the nineteenth century, however, the Singh Sabha, a powerful new Sikh movement, began to view the multiplicity in Sikh identity with suspicion and hostility. Aided by cultural forces unleashed by the British Raj, the Singh Sabha sought to recast Sikh tradition and purge it of diversity, bringing about the highly codified culture of modern Sikhism. A study of the process by which a pluralistic religious world view is replaced by a monolithic one, this book questions basic assumptions about the efficacy of fundamentalist claims and the construction of all social and religious identities.

Author : Manpreet J Singh
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 244 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2021-12-30
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9789389812718

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The Sikh Next Door by Manpreet J Singh Pdf

The Sikhs have been a people in transition. Unwanted displacements, willing movements and a changing world have led them through demographic, occupational and experiential shifts. While this has led to the evolution of new facets within the community, it has also evoked mixed responses from outside. As new generations of Sikhs engage with the world through sensibilities defined by their contemporary contexts, they find themselves constructed in images dissonant with their lived realities. The Sikh Next Door: An Identity in Transition traces these changes while also making an incisive analysis of old stereotypes-some heroic, some menacing and some farcical. It simultaneously brings into focus the real people behind these images, their varying social stances and their collective commitment to a common religious identity. The work attempts to reframe the Sikhs, bending a few existing narratives and offering an impetus for a more nuanced understanding of the community.

Author : Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 251 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2012-02-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780791482667

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The Birth of the Khalsa by Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh Pdf

Sikhs trace the genesis of their religious rites, prayers, dress codes, and names to Guru Gobind Singh's creation of the Khalsa in 1699. The Birth of the Khalsa is the first work to explore this pivotal event in Sikh history from a feminist perspective, questioning the ways in which Sikh memories have constructed a hypermasculine Sikh identity. The book argues that Sikh memory needs to acknowledge the vital female dimension grounded in the universal human condition and present at the birth of the Khalsa. Inspired by her own father, the eminent Sikh scholar Harbans Singh, Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh rediscovers the feminine side of the words and actions of the founders of Sikhism. She looks at the basic texts and tenets of Sikh religion and demonstrates the female aspect in the sacred text, daily prayers, dress code, and rituals of the Sikhs. Singh reminds us that Guru Gobind Singh's original vision was an egalitarian one and urges present-day Sikhs to live up to the liberating implications set in motion when he gave birth to the Khalsa.

Author : Birendra Kaur
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 132 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2001
Category : Sikhism
ISBN : 8172052545

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On Sikh Identity by Birendra Kaur Pdf

Author : Paramjit S. Judge
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : History
ISBN : UOM:39015069126921

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Religion, Identity, and Nationhood by Paramjit S. Judge Pdf

"The Sikh militant movement spanned one-and-a-half decades during which a considerable loss of life occurred in and outside Punjab. In terms of its spread, it almost became international in character largely due to the presence of diaspora Sikhs in most of the western world. This work is based on the analysis of the speeches and messages of the leaders of the militant movement. It has been argued, without essentializing the problematic, that the nature of discourse of the militant movement could be traced back to the construction of Sikhism in the second half of the nineteenth century. The ideology of the Singh Sabha movement and its attempt at the construction of singular religious identity provided the dynamics to the Sikh community. In the process, the religious tradition was invented, which emphasized the singular Sikh identity by paving the way for the fundamentalist discourse of separatism. The composite religious tradition in Sikhism was put at the margin of the community as a result of which it became possible to construct Sikh nationhood. Coupled with this construction was the attempt of the militants to purge the community from all syncretism practised by the Sikhs. It has been argued that despite this construction, the Sikh community has continued to observe the composite tradition though the threat of militant violence greatly reduced the eclectic space of inter-subjective communitarian understanding and interaction."

Author : Amit Amin,Naroop Jhooti
Publisher : Unbound Publishing
Page : 257 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2019-01-24
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781783526147

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Turbans and Tales by Amit Amin,Naroop Jhooti Pdf

The turban is undoubtedly the most powerful and recognisable symbol of Sikh identity: worn for centuries by kings and holy men in South Asia, it took on a revolutionary meaning with the birth of Sikhism, and today it continues to signify non-conformity and style. Turbans and Tales chronicles the Sikh Project, a photography programme created by the award-winning duo Amit and Naroop. Over a period of four years, they photographed boxers, army captains, doctors, bikers, fashion stylists, musicians, temple volunteers, magicians and Sikhs from a host of other occupations. They sought out individuals – men, women and children – with inspiring stories to tell, as well as a unique approach to wearing their traditional articles of faith. The portraits, which have been exhibited in London and New York, showcase the modern Sikh identity in all its beauty and diversity.

Author : Gurharpal Singh,Giorgio Shani
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 279 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2021-11-25
Category : History
ISBN : 9781009213448

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Sikh Nationalism by Gurharpal Singh,Giorgio Shani Pdf

This important volume provides a clear, concise and comprehensive guide to the history of Sikh nationalism from the late nineteenth century to the present. Drawing on A. D. Smith's ethno-symbolic approach, Gurharpal Singh and Giorgio Shani use a new integrated methodology to understanding the historical and sociological development of modern Sikh nationalism. By emphasising the importance of studying Sikh nationalism from the perspective of the nation-building projects of India and Pakistan, the recent literature on religious nationalism and the need to integrate the study of the diaspora with the Sikhs in South Asia, they provide a fresh approach to a complex subject. Singh and Shani evaluate the current condition of Sikh nationalism in a globalised world and consider the lessons the Sikh case offers for the comparative study of ethnicity, nations and nationalism.