Geetanjali Chanda - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Geetanjali Chanda
previously neglected Sikh male as the subject of its narratives. The construction of Sikh masculi... more previously neglected Sikh male as the subject of its narratives. The construction of Sikh masculinity is mapped onto the wider historical contexts of immigration to North America, and globalization and consumerism in India. In Sikhism, the Khalsa male, because of his turban, is the marked body signaling difference. But in the diaspora, religious markers such as the turban shape the performance of a specific kind of gendered identity and also define the manner in which integration into a religious, cultural, and ethnic identity proceeds. The family, specifically the hetero-normative family, is at the heart of the performance, the pedagogy, and the continuity of specific notions of a religio-cultural masculinity, which speaks sometimes in concert with and sometimes against the feminist grain. Religious identifications such as the turban that bear the moral burden of older value systems and notions of masculinity and femininity collide with changing survival systems, and women and men ...
Asian Journal of Women's Studies, 2001
The perception in some quarters that feminism in Asia is "tainted goods" leads one to p... more The perception in some quarters that feminism in Asia is "tainted goods" leads one to ponder whether feminism is tainted just because it is imported or whether there is something inherently rotten in feminism itself that makes it tainted? Certainly many women American as well as Asian have rejected the term `feminist. Madhu Kishwars article entitled "Why I Do Not Call Myself a Feminist" lists some reasons for her rejection of the term which she feels is an "avoidable burden.” The American novelist and poet Alice Walker too refuses the term preferring to use the term "womanist" which she defines as "a black feminist or a feminist of color...committed to survival and wholeness of entire people male and female.” (authors)
Sikh Formations, 2014
Enlarging on Benedict Anderson's idea that print capitalism bound a nation together this pape... more Enlarging on Benedict Anderson's idea that print capitalism bound a nation together this paper argues that films, like memoirs, novels and oral histories are also valid historic and public documents that aid in nation formation. In focusing on two commercial films – ‘Amu’ and ‘Khamosh Pani’ – made by women and with women protagonists – we explore how religious identity and gender are deeply embroiled in Indian history and nation building. Religious affiliations and rejections are explored against the backdrop of three critical historical moments – the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan, the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom and Zia-ul Haq's Islamization of Pakistan in the late 1970s. The underlying message of the films is that unless we know and understand our history we will be forever condemned to relive it. In these two films the protagonists challenge the religious identities thrust upon them viz – Sikhism and Islam and although both protagonists recognize their religious affiliations and the sway it holds over them they also ultimately reject a religion that instead of being life sustaining has destroyed their relationships with their kin, themselves and their state. These films force citizens to reconsider their national and religious identity.
Sikh Diaspora, 2013
The category 'Sikh literature' poses a conundrum. There is a substantial body of work abo... more The category 'Sikh literature' poses a conundrum. There is a substantial body of work about Sikhs that encompasses Sikh history, religion, identity, scriptures and literature, some of it is in Punjabi and some in English. This chapter specifically examines the genre of children's and young adult literature by and about Sikhs that is produced in the diaspora. It is part of a broader study of Sikh diaspora literature and seeks to understand the ways in which Sikh identity is constructed and disseminated through children's literature. Addressed to children born to Sikh parents in a foreign land, especially when their religious and cultural identity is subject to critical, even hostile scrutiny, offers a unique looking glass for the diaspora as a whole. In Sikh children's literature the majority of the authors are women and most of the subjects are turbaned Sikh boys. Keywords: cultural identity; Sikh children's literature; young adult literature
Men and Masculinities, 2009
... Turban-wearing Sikhs constitute a visible subgroup of the South Asian diaspora and yet one se... more ... Turban-wearing Sikhs constitute a visible subgroup of the South Asian diaspora and yet one searches in vain for any portrayal of Sikh manhood in the cultural production of diaspora and gender. ... Chanda, Ford / Sikh Masculinity, Religion, and Diaspora 463 ...
Sikh Formations, 2014
In response to Simone de Beauvoir's claim that for women ‘biology is Destiny’ Judith Butler s... more In response to Simone de Beauvoir's claim that for women ‘biology is Destiny’ Judith Butler says, ‘not biology, but culture becomes destiny’ (Butler, Judith. 1990. Gender Trouble, Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New York and London: Routledge, 8). The Memoirs by Sharan-Jeet Shan, Kiranjit Ahluwalia, Jasvinder Sanghera and Rupinder Gill confirm that culture and gender shape women's lives and destinies. Especially, immigrant women often engage in a life-threatening struggle to change this destiny. This is not to suggest that men do not also face and transcend some of the same issues as women. In If You Don't Know Me by Now (2008), Sathnam Sanghera complains that in immigrant societies men are as trapped by culture as women but the media tends to portray them – men – as ‘beneficiaries’ rather than victims of culture. Although one would not want to create hierarchies of suffering and victimization, the memoirs considered here reveal that cultural codes do not hold men in the same kind of thrall as they do women.
Judith Butler rebutted Simone de Beauvoir’s claim that “biology is Destiny” for women by stating ... more Judith Butler rebutted Simone de Beauvoir’s claim that “biology is Destiny” for women by stating that “not biology, but culture, becomes destiny.” (Butler,1990,8). As the bearers and transmitters of culture, especially in diaspora, women carry a special burden. Any womanly infringement of social codes is seen as a serious betrayal of family, culture and country. Ahluwalia, Shan, Sanghera and Gill’s memoirs are ‘survival’ narratives where the authors rewrite the destiny mapped for them by patriarchal culture. This is not to suggest that men do not also face similar issues. Sathnam Sanghera’s If You Don’t Know Me By Now offers a poignant insight into the male psyche revealing the burden of growing up a ‘coconut’ (brown on the outside and white inside) in small town Britain. But, Ahluwalia contests, “Ours is a culture that imprisons women, while allowing men the freedom to do what they like. They have neither the barrier of religion nor that of izzat standing in their way.” These gend...
Sikh Formations, Nov 28, 2016
Journal of the Motherhood Initiative For Research and Community Involvement, Jan 11, 2002
... Mapping Motherhood: The Fiction of Anita Desai. Geetanjali Singh Chanda. Full Text: Subscribe... more ... Mapping Motherhood: The Fiction of Anita Desai. Geetanjali Singh Chanda. Full Text: Subscribers Only We are grateful to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for its ongoing support of ...
Hecate, Jul 1, 2003
The notion of the family, like the notion of feminism is supposed to transcend geography and cult... more The notion of the family, like the notion of feminism is supposed to transcend geography and culture. However, each individual or cultural interpretation of the 'family' and of 'feminism' is firmly grounded in a specific geography, history and culture. My linking of family and feminism is deliberate because the disintegration of 'the family' as we know it is often attributed to the rise of feminism. The subjects of my paper - young women and men in Hong Kong and in the US - attribute their anxiety about family-life and family values to feminism. Older women, however perceive the family quite differently. The terms 'Asian values', 'American values' and 'family values' have taken on multiple meanings and have different connotations in different cultural contexts. But do they share any common features? How does the younger generation address these fears? This 'work in progress' presents three anecdotal case studies based on classroom discussions and journals in the University of Hong Kong and an English Language Class at the Women's Centre (Hong Kong), and from similar journal entries and discussions at Yale University. I am not suggesting that these are representative samples but merely that they provide interesting comparative view-points. My interactions cover a ten year span from thei99os to 2003. These specific studies reflect and hope to add to the ongoing discussions about feminisms within women's movements, women's studies centres and the popular media. The comparative framework of studying the women in the English language class at the Women's Centre, Hong Kong, undergraduate students at Hong Kong University, and Yale has allowed me a two-pronged approach to look at feminisms from a cultural and a generational perspective. The questions asked were fairly general and open-ended eliciting student views in relation to definitions of feminism, whether they self-identified as feminists, could men be feminists too, and whether feminism was relevant in their lives. The majority of the students were women although there were some men in the classes at HKU and at Yale. Most students were between the ages of 18 and 22 although there were some mature students - mainly in the HKU group. The English language class was held in a Hong Kong housing estate. It was an all women middle to low-income group where the ages ranged from 30's to about 6o's. all the names in this narrative have been changed to ensure privacy. Definitions of feminism and self-identification Neither the HKU nor Yale students had a clear idea about feminism. But both groups generally agreed that feminism at the most basic level was, as Yale student Ruby said, a theory 'that men and women should be treated equally socially, politically and economically' and to that extent, all the students - male and female, at HKU and at Yale, were willing to call themselves feminists. But both groups had problems with the label 'feminist' and were unsure about self-identifying as feminists. Their views reflect a more general malaise about the connotations evoked by the term 'feminist'. Madhu Kishwar, an Indian feminist activist, for example also feels that the term is an 'avoidable burden1.1 The African American novelist and poet, Alice Walker, refuses the term, preferring to coin the term 'womanist'.2 The fact that feminism has come to be narrowly associated with middle class, white women's struggle for gender equality has alienated many, as has the persistent bad press and stereotypes perpetuated in mainstream media and popular culture of feminists as strident, bra-burning, radical women. This attitude was exemplified by a Yale Asian American male student, who confessed: Did I believe that feminists are radicals who do not believe in the family structure and feel that gender roles are evil and any woman who accepts them is selling out? To that I would have to agree but I say this much in my defence, it was out of ignorance (isn't it always). Culture based resistance to feminisms HKU Perspective: Feminism as a western import conflicting with 'Asian Values' The taint of Westernisation has made feminism especially suspect in Asia. …
Sikh Formations, 2014
Enlarging on Benedict Anderson's idea that print capitalism bound a nation together this pape... more Enlarging on Benedict Anderson's idea that print capitalism bound a nation together this paper argues that films, like memoirs, novels and oral histories are also valid historic and public documents that aid in nation formation. In focusing on two commercial films – ‘Amu’ and ‘Khamosh Pani’ – made by women and with women protagonists – we explore how religious identity and gender are deeply embroiled in Indian history and nation building. Religious affiliations and rejections are explored against the backdrop of three critical historical moments – the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan, the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom and Zia-ul Haq's Islamization of Pakistan in the late 1970s. The underlying message of the films is that unless we know and understand our history we will be forever condemned to relive it. In these two films the protagonists challenge the religious identities thrust upon them viz – Sikhism and Islam and although both protagonists recognize their religious affiliations and the sway it holds over them they also ultimately reject a religion that instead of being life sustaining has destroyed their relationships with their kin, themselves and their state. These films force citizens to reconsider their national and religious identity.
Sikh Diaspora, 2013
The category 'Sikh literature' poses a conundrum. There is a substantial body of work abo... more The category 'Sikh literature' poses a conundrum. There is a substantial body of work about Sikhs that encompasses Sikh history, religion, identity, scriptures and literature, some of it is in Punjabi and some in English. This chapter specifically examines the genre of children's and young adult literature by and about Sikhs that is produced in the diaspora. It is part of a broader study of Sikh diaspora literature and seeks to understand the ways in which Sikh identity is constructed and disseminated through children's literature. Addressed to children born to Sikh parents in a foreign land, especially when their religious and cultural identity is subject to critical, even hostile scrutiny, offers a unique looking glass for the diaspora as a whole. In Sikh children's literature the majority of the authors are women and most of the subjects are turbaned Sikh boys. Keywords: cultural identity; Sikh children's literature; young adult literature
Wasafiri, 1997
This essay focuses on four recent Indo-English novels by women writers, and on their narrative ma... more This essay focuses on four recent Indo-English novels by women writers, and on their narrative mappings of alternative'Indias'. We argue that for the women subjects in these novels, questions of selfidentity and their own community locations are mutually ...
Contemporary South Asia, Oct 2, 2014
Eleanor Nesbitts introduction contextualises the life of Kailash Puri, Punjabi author and agony a... more Eleanor Nesbitts introduction contextualises the life of Kailash Puri, Punjabi author and agony aunt, providing the story of the book itself and connecting the narrative to the history of the Punjabi diaspora and themes in Sikh Studies. She suggests that representation of the stereotypical South Asian woman as victim needs to give way to a nuanced recognition of agency, multiple voices and a differentiated experience. The narrative presents sixty years of Kailashs life. Her memories of childhood in West Punjab evoke rural customs and religious practices consistent with recent scholarship on Punjabi religion rather than with the currently dominant Sikh discourse of a religion sharply distinguished from Hindu society. Her marriage, as a shy 15-year-old, with no knowledge of English, to a scientist, Gopal Puri, brought ever-widening horizons as husband and wife moved from India to London, and later to West Africa, before returning to the UK in 1966. This life experience, and Gopals constant encouragement, brought confidence to write and publish numerous stories and articles. Kailash writes of the contrasting experiences of life as an Indian in the UK of the 1940s and the 1960s. She points up differences between her own outlook and the life-world of the post-war community of Sikhs from East Punjab now living in the West. In their distress and dilemmas many people consulted Kailash for assistance, and the descriptive narrative of her responses and advice and increasingly public profile provides insight into Sikhs experience in their adopted country. In later years, as grandparents and established citizens of Liverpool, Kailash and Gopal revisited their ancestral home, now in Pakistan a reflective and moving experience. An Afterword by Eleanor contextualises the current UK Sikh scene. The book includes a glossary of Punjabi words and suggestions for further reading.
Men and Masculinities, 2010
... Turban-wearing Sikhs constitute a visible subgroup of the South Asian diaspora and yet one se... more ... Turban-wearing Sikhs constitute a visible subgroup of the South Asian diaspora and yet one searches in vain for any portrayal of Sikh manhood in the cultural production of diaspora and gender. ... Chanda, Ford / Sikh Masculinity, Religion, and Diaspora 463 ...
previously neglected Sikh male as the subject of its narratives. The construction of Sikh masculi... more previously neglected Sikh male as the subject of its narratives. The construction of Sikh masculinity is mapped onto the wider historical contexts of immigration to North America, and globalization and consumerism in India. In Sikhism, the Khalsa male, because of his turban, is the marked body signaling difference. But in the diaspora, religious markers such as the turban shape the performance of a specific kind of gendered identity and also define the manner in which integration into a religious, cultural, and ethnic identity proceeds. The family, specifically the hetero-normative family, is at the heart of the performance, the pedagogy, and the continuity of specific notions of a religio-cultural masculinity, which speaks sometimes in concert with and sometimes against the feminist grain. Religious identifications such as the turban that bear the moral burden of older value systems and notions of masculinity and femininity collide with changing survival systems, and women and men ...
Asian Journal of Women's Studies, 2001
The perception in some quarters that feminism in Asia is "tainted goods" leads one to p... more The perception in some quarters that feminism in Asia is "tainted goods" leads one to ponder whether feminism is tainted just because it is imported or whether there is something inherently rotten in feminism itself that makes it tainted? Certainly many women American as well as Asian have rejected the term `feminist. Madhu Kishwars article entitled "Why I Do Not Call Myself a Feminist" lists some reasons for her rejection of the term which she feels is an "avoidable burden.” The American novelist and poet Alice Walker too refuses the term preferring to use the term "womanist" which she defines as "a black feminist or a feminist of color...committed to survival and wholeness of entire people male and female.” (authors)
Sikh Formations, 2014
Enlarging on Benedict Anderson's idea that print capitalism bound a nation together this pape... more Enlarging on Benedict Anderson's idea that print capitalism bound a nation together this paper argues that films, like memoirs, novels and oral histories are also valid historic and public documents that aid in nation formation. In focusing on two commercial films – ‘Amu’ and ‘Khamosh Pani’ – made by women and with women protagonists – we explore how religious identity and gender are deeply embroiled in Indian history and nation building. Religious affiliations and rejections are explored against the backdrop of three critical historical moments – the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan, the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom and Zia-ul Haq's Islamization of Pakistan in the late 1970s. The underlying message of the films is that unless we know and understand our history we will be forever condemned to relive it. In these two films the protagonists challenge the religious identities thrust upon them viz – Sikhism and Islam and although both protagonists recognize their religious affiliations and the sway it holds over them they also ultimately reject a religion that instead of being life sustaining has destroyed their relationships with their kin, themselves and their state. These films force citizens to reconsider their national and religious identity.
Sikh Diaspora, 2013
The category 'Sikh literature' poses a conundrum. There is a substantial body of work abo... more The category 'Sikh literature' poses a conundrum. There is a substantial body of work about Sikhs that encompasses Sikh history, religion, identity, scriptures and literature, some of it is in Punjabi and some in English. This chapter specifically examines the genre of children's and young adult literature by and about Sikhs that is produced in the diaspora. It is part of a broader study of Sikh diaspora literature and seeks to understand the ways in which Sikh identity is constructed and disseminated through children's literature. Addressed to children born to Sikh parents in a foreign land, especially when their religious and cultural identity is subject to critical, even hostile scrutiny, offers a unique looking glass for the diaspora as a whole. In Sikh children's literature the majority of the authors are women and most of the subjects are turbaned Sikh boys. Keywords: cultural identity; Sikh children's literature; young adult literature
Men and Masculinities, 2009
... Turban-wearing Sikhs constitute a visible subgroup of the South Asian diaspora and yet one se... more ... Turban-wearing Sikhs constitute a visible subgroup of the South Asian diaspora and yet one searches in vain for any portrayal of Sikh manhood in the cultural production of diaspora and gender. ... Chanda, Ford / Sikh Masculinity, Religion, and Diaspora 463 ...
Sikh Formations, 2014
In response to Simone de Beauvoir's claim that for women ‘biology is Destiny’ Judith Butler s... more In response to Simone de Beauvoir's claim that for women ‘biology is Destiny’ Judith Butler says, ‘not biology, but culture becomes destiny’ (Butler, Judith. 1990. Gender Trouble, Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New York and London: Routledge, 8). The Memoirs by Sharan-Jeet Shan, Kiranjit Ahluwalia, Jasvinder Sanghera and Rupinder Gill confirm that culture and gender shape women's lives and destinies. Especially, immigrant women often engage in a life-threatening struggle to change this destiny. This is not to suggest that men do not also face and transcend some of the same issues as women. In If You Don't Know Me by Now (2008), Sathnam Sanghera complains that in immigrant societies men are as trapped by culture as women but the media tends to portray them – men – as ‘beneficiaries’ rather than victims of culture. Although one would not want to create hierarchies of suffering and victimization, the memoirs considered here reveal that cultural codes do not hold men in the same kind of thrall as they do women.
Judith Butler rebutted Simone de Beauvoir’s claim that “biology is Destiny” for women by stating ... more Judith Butler rebutted Simone de Beauvoir’s claim that “biology is Destiny” for women by stating that “not biology, but culture, becomes destiny.” (Butler,1990,8). As the bearers and transmitters of culture, especially in diaspora, women carry a special burden. Any womanly infringement of social codes is seen as a serious betrayal of family, culture and country. Ahluwalia, Shan, Sanghera and Gill’s memoirs are ‘survival’ narratives where the authors rewrite the destiny mapped for them by patriarchal culture. This is not to suggest that men do not also face similar issues. Sathnam Sanghera’s If You Don’t Know Me By Now offers a poignant insight into the male psyche revealing the burden of growing up a ‘coconut’ (brown on the outside and white inside) in small town Britain. But, Ahluwalia contests, “Ours is a culture that imprisons women, while allowing men the freedom to do what they like. They have neither the barrier of religion nor that of izzat standing in their way.” These gend...
Sikh Formations, Nov 28, 2016
Journal of the Motherhood Initiative For Research and Community Involvement, Jan 11, 2002
... Mapping Motherhood: The Fiction of Anita Desai. Geetanjali Singh Chanda. Full Text: Subscribe... more ... Mapping Motherhood: The Fiction of Anita Desai. Geetanjali Singh Chanda. Full Text: Subscribers Only We are grateful to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for its ongoing support of ...
Hecate, Jul 1, 2003
The notion of the family, like the notion of feminism is supposed to transcend geography and cult... more The notion of the family, like the notion of feminism is supposed to transcend geography and culture. However, each individual or cultural interpretation of the 'family' and of 'feminism' is firmly grounded in a specific geography, history and culture. My linking of family and feminism is deliberate because the disintegration of 'the family' as we know it is often attributed to the rise of feminism. The subjects of my paper - young women and men in Hong Kong and in the US - attribute their anxiety about family-life and family values to feminism. Older women, however perceive the family quite differently. The terms 'Asian values', 'American values' and 'family values' have taken on multiple meanings and have different connotations in different cultural contexts. But do they share any common features? How does the younger generation address these fears? This 'work in progress' presents three anecdotal case studies based on classroom discussions and journals in the University of Hong Kong and an English Language Class at the Women's Centre (Hong Kong), and from similar journal entries and discussions at Yale University. I am not suggesting that these are representative samples but merely that they provide interesting comparative view-points. My interactions cover a ten year span from thei99os to 2003. These specific studies reflect and hope to add to the ongoing discussions about feminisms within women's movements, women's studies centres and the popular media. The comparative framework of studying the women in the English language class at the Women's Centre, Hong Kong, undergraduate students at Hong Kong University, and Yale has allowed me a two-pronged approach to look at feminisms from a cultural and a generational perspective. The questions asked were fairly general and open-ended eliciting student views in relation to definitions of feminism, whether they self-identified as feminists, could men be feminists too, and whether feminism was relevant in their lives. The majority of the students were women although there were some men in the classes at HKU and at Yale. Most students were between the ages of 18 and 22 although there were some mature students - mainly in the HKU group. The English language class was held in a Hong Kong housing estate. It was an all women middle to low-income group where the ages ranged from 30's to about 6o's. all the names in this narrative have been changed to ensure privacy. Definitions of feminism and self-identification Neither the HKU nor Yale students had a clear idea about feminism. But both groups generally agreed that feminism at the most basic level was, as Yale student Ruby said, a theory 'that men and women should be treated equally socially, politically and economically' and to that extent, all the students - male and female, at HKU and at Yale, were willing to call themselves feminists. But both groups had problems with the label 'feminist' and were unsure about self-identifying as feminists. Their views reflect a more general malaise about the connotations evoked by the term 'feminist'. Madhu Kishwar, an Indian feminist activist, for example also feels that the term is an 'avoidable burden1.1 The African American novelist and poet, Alice Walker, refuses the term, preferring to coin the term 'womanist'.2 The fact that feminism has come to be narrowly associated with middle class, white women's struggle for gender equality has alienated many, as has the persistent bad press and stereotypes perpetuated in mainstream media and popular culture of feminists as strident, bra-burning, radical women. This attitude was exemplified by a Yale Asian American male student, who confessed: Did I believe that feminists are radicals who do not believe in the family structure and feel that gender roles are evil and any woman who accepts them is selling out? To that I would have to agree but I say this much in my defence, it was out of ignorance (isn't it always). Culture based resistance to feminisms HKU Perspective: Feminism as a western import conflicting with 'Asian Values' The taint of Westernisation has made feminism especially suspect in Asia. …
Sikh Formations, 2014
Enlarging on Benedict Anderson's idea that print capitalism bound a nation together this pape... more Enlarging on Benedict Anderson's idea that print capitalism bound a nation together this paper argues that films, like memoirs, novels and oral histories are also valid historic and public documents that aid in nation formation. In focusing on two commercial films – ‘Amu’ and ‘Khamosh Pani’ – made by women and with women protagonists – we explore how religious identity and gender are deeply embroiled in Indian history and nation building. Religious affiliations and rejections are explored against the backdrop of three critical historical moments – the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan, the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom and Zia-ul Haq's Islamization of Pakistan in the late 1970s. The underlying message of the films is that unless we know and understand our history we will be forever condemned to relive it. In these two films the protagonists challenge the religious identities thrust upon them viz – Sikhism and Islam and although both protagonists recognize their religious affiliations and the sway it holds over them they also ultimately reject a religion that instead of being life sustaining has destroyed their relationships with their kin, themselves and their state. These films force citizens to reconsider their national and religious identity.
Sikh Diaspora, 2013
The category 'Sikh literature' poses a conundrum. There is a substantial body of work abo... more The category 'Sikh literature' poses a conundrum. There is a substantial body of work about Sikhs that encompasses Sikh history, religion, identity, scriptures and literature, some of it is in Punjabi and some in English. This chapter specifically examines the genre of children's and young adult literature by and about Sikhs that is produced in the diaspora. It is part of a broader study of Sikh diaspora literature and seeks to understand the ways in which Sikh identity is constructed and disseminated through children's literature. Addressed to children born to Sikh parents in a foreign land, especially when their religious and cultural identity is subject to critical, even hostile scrutiny, offers a unique looking glass for the diaspora as a whole. In Sikh children's literature the majority of the authors are women and most of the subjects are turbaned Sikh boys. Keywords: cultural identity; Sikh children's literature; young adult literature
Wasafiri, 1997
This essay focuses on four recent Indo-English novels by women writers, and on their narrative ma... more This essay focuses on four recent Indo-English novels by women writers, and on their narrative mappings of alternative'Indias'. We argue that for the women subjects in these novels, questions of selfidentity and their own community locations are mutually ...
Contemporary South Asia, Oct 2, 2014
Eleanor Nesbitts introduction contextualises the life of Kailash Puri, Punjabi author and agony a... more Eleanor Nesbitts introduction contextualises the life of Kailash Puri, Punjabi author and agony aunt, providing the story of the book itself and connecting the narrative to the history of the Punjabi diaspora and themes in Sikh Studies. She suggests that representation of the stereotypical South Asian woman as victim needs to give way to a nuanced recognition of agency, multiple voices and a differentiated experience. The narrative presents sixty years of Kailashs life. Her memories of childhood in West Punjab evoke rural customs and religious practices consistent with recent scholarship on Punjabi religion rather than with the currently dominant Sikh discourse of a religion sharply distinguished from Hindu society. Her marriage, as a shy 15-year-old, with no knowledge of English, to a scientist, Gopal Puri, brought ever-widening horizons as husband and wife moved from India to London, and later to West Africa, before returning to the UK in 1966. This life experience, and Gopals constant encouragement, brought confidence to write and publish numerous stories and articles. Kailash writes of the contrasting experiences of life as an Indian in the UK of the 1940s and the 1960s. She points up differences between her own outlook and the life-world of the post-war community of Sikhs from East Punjab now living in the West. In their distress and dilemmas many people consulted Kailash for assistance, and the descriptive narrative of her responses and advice and increasingly public profile provides insight into Sikhs experience in their adopted country. In later years, as grandparents and established citizens of Liverpool, Kailash and Gopal revisited their ancestral home, now in Pakistan a reflective and moving experience. An Afterword by Eleanor contextualises the current UK Sikh scene. The book includes a glossary of Punjabi words and suggestions for further reading.
Men and Masculinities, 2010
... Turban-wearing Sikhs constitute a visible subgroup of the South Asian diaspora and yet one se... more ... Turban-wearing Sikhs constitute a visible subgroup of the South Asian diaspora and yet one searches in vain for any portrayal of Sikh manhood in the cultural production of diaspora and gender. ... Chanda, Ford / Sikh Masculinity, Religion, and Diaspora 463 ...