Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa-Baker | Loyola Marymount University (original) (raw)

Papers by Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa-Baker

The purpose of this position paper is to advocate for marriage equality and the inclusion of LGBT... more The purpose of this position paper is to advocate for marriage equality and the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals within Sikh gurdwaras. Though the paper advocates for the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ Sikhs, the report does not provide a model or framework for what this “should” or “could” look like in practice. While debates about Anand Karaj norms are common among Sikhs, this report also does not make any statements about whether the existing Anand Karaj models that are practiced today are accurate or the ideal models of Anand Karajs. The report was commissioned by Siri Singh Sahib Corporation’s Human Rights Commission to better understand the hurdles to successfully implementing marriage equality. This paper examines the tensions between Sikh spiritual and political sovereignty, the equality guaranteed in Sikhi but not actualized in Sikh institutions, and the impact of colonialism and patriarchy on Sikh practices and institutions of authority. By addressing these issues, we aim to cultivate a more inclusive and equitable environment within the Sikh community. As a note, we use “report” and “position paper” interchangeably throughout the document.

co-authored by prabhdeep kehal

EQUITY & EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION, 2024

In this paper, we, members of a dharmic* scholars collective, share the out-comes of our discussi... more In this paper, we, members of a dharmic* scholars collective, share the out-comes of our discussions over the last three years centered on the question:what shifts in research and practice are necessary to enable higher educationto address the concerns of dharmic* (Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, and Hindu) studentsin the US? Topics we have focused on in our discussions relate to (1) thepervasiveness of Christian hegemony, normativity, and privilege in US highereducation that leads to a general misunderstanding of dharmic* traditions andthe students from them; (2) systemic and institutionalized challenges to affect-ing change; and (3) racial, ethnic, and political tensions that shape the experi-ences and concerns of dharmic* students. In the end, we describe our hopesfor the future and invite others – dharmic* scholar-practitioners and aspiringallies alike – to join us in working toward greater understanding, appreciation,and care for dharmic* and all religiously minoritized students.

Sikh formations, Mar 21, 2024

This article explores cultural dynamics, integrative tensions, and collaborations between 3HO–Sik... more This article explores cultural dynamics, integrative tensions, and collaborations between 3HO–Sikh Dharma and Punjabi Sikh communities in North America over the last fifty-years. Sikh Dharma’s 1979 declaration as a ‘Sovereign Khalsa Spiritual Nation’ raises questions about Sikh spiritual and political sovereignty and its relationship to institutions of authority within transnational, diasporic, multicultural, and multigenerational contexts. This paper addresses communal experiences of trauma and contemporary human rights issues caused by abuses of power. It contemplates the role of the next generation in shaping Sikh futures, emphasizing productive possibilities of humility and shared sovereignties to bridge communal divides through affective empathy.

Routledge eBooks, May 9, 2023

Sikhs are creating a virtual world through social media that represents multiple dimensions of Si... more Sikhs are creating a virtual world through social media that represents multiple dimensions of Sikh identity, agency, and expression at the intersections of art, activism, entertainment, education, and religion. While these spaces empower diverse Sikh voices and create global communities, social media also operates within authoritarian domains and an attention economy that ranks, tracks, and silos users, erases diverse voices, creates polarizing perspectives, and unearths various forms of cyber-violence. In response, Sikhs can harness the wide-reaching capabilities of social media to tell their own stories, educate public audiences, garner political support, and build solidarity. It allows for an encounter with the dynamic living experiences and expressions of Sikhi that continue to develop through time and space. Social media engagement offers productive potentials when driven not by an ego-orientation but instead by the Sikh ethics of seva (selfless service), sangat (creation of conscious communities), and sant-sipahi (transpersonal sovereignty of the sage-warrior).

Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods, 2017

Encyclopedia of World Religions, 2017

Music is performed for Sikh devotion. This aesthetically emotive medium maintains Sikh memory and... more Music is performed for Sikh devotion. This aesthetically emotive medium maintains Sikh memory and identity and invokes spiritual experience within the Sikh panth. Sikh “religious” music has been influenced by “popular” musicality due to changing patronage, pedagogy, and modern technology.

ICTM Dialogues on Decolonization , 2022

International Council for Traditional Music: Dialogues on Decolonization Episode 19. Open Access ... more International Council for Traditional Music: Dialogues on Decolonization Episode 19. Open Access Digital Book and Video "The Necessity of a Decolonial Frame: Undoing the Inscriptions of Colonial Modernity in the Study of Sikh Musical Heritage"

Values and Voices, 2021

This national campaign brings together scholars from a range of religious traditions to speak abo... more This national campaign brings together scholars from
a range of religious traditions to speak about core American values that have grounded our nation in the past and should guide us forward at the start of a new administration. https://www.valuesandvoices.com/letters-2021/letter-53/

(SEE ATTACHED FILE FOR LINK TO THE ONLINE ARTICLE) In 2020 the global 3HO Kundalini Yoga communit... more (SEE ATTACHED FILE FOR LINK TO THE ONLINE ARTICLE) In 2020 the global 3HO Kundalini Yoga community began awakening to stories of sexually abusive behaviors, manipulative tactics, and exploitative business dealings by Yogi Bhajan and community members, with those in the inner circle enabling abuses and silencing dissenting voices. Students have been grappling with the contradictions of the spiritual teacher who both abused his power and empowered women, proclaiming that “the day the woman will not be exploited on this planet, there shall be peace on this Earth” (Yogi Bhajan, May 9, 1971). People are now awakening to the sexism, misogyny, heteropatriarchy, and white supremacy that have bled through his teachings that purport respect and equality for all. Those in the first generation are now reckoning with the trauma that some of their children experienced being sent away at young ages to live with other families or to boarding school in India where many reported being beaten, neglected, always hungry, told that hardship would make them strong “leaders of tomorrow.” New revelations of abuse by teachers, guides, and leaders of the community continue to be brought to light, demonstrating a history of silencing. How does a community of practitioners, who have spent the past 50 years dedicated to spreading the light, move toward healing when there is so much darkness in the shadow?

https://sacredmattersmagazine.com/the-painful-process-of-awakening-harm-and-healing-in-the-healthy-happy-holy-kundalini-yoga-community/

Sikh Formations: Religion, Culture, Theory, 2014

Sikh Formations: Religion, Culture, Theory , 2014

Sikh Formations Religion, Culture, Theory , 2019

The Sikh Gurus promoted gender equality, but still women's voices are being silenced from playing... more The Sikh Gurus promoted gender equality, but still women's voices are being silenced from playing Gurbānī Kīrtan inside the Golden Temple. The reasons for their exclusion center around the sexualization of the female body, purity and pollution, appeals to tradition, and questions of musical proficiency. Today, Sikhs in India and the diaspora ask that the Sikh philosophy of equality be fully enacted in pedagogy and praxis. Through ethnographic investigation, historical analysis and critical inquiry, this paper addresses the importance of liberating the Sikh self and psyche from institutional systems of oppression to reclaim Sikh sovereignty, equality and the female voice.

Sikh Formations Religion, Culture, Theory , 2017

At the 'Sikh Diasporic Feminisms' workshop in LA, we gathered to create a space where our experie... more At the 'Sikh Diasporic Feminisms' workshop in LA, we gathered to create a space where our experiences and perspectives could be voiced, heard, acknowledged and appreciated. We shared our stories and raised questions that we feel are of the utmost importance as we navigate multiple terrains within Sikh ideological, theoretical, normative and lived practice. Independently we have had many conversations that have interrogated notions of Sikh feminisms, and recognized this political, social and psychological mo(ve)ment as necessitating a collective effort to bring this conversation into public Sikh discourse rather than being silenced, shamed and shunned within families, homes and community spaces. We acknowledge and appreciate the work that has come before us and now look to continue this labor as we transition into a new paradigm pregnant with possibilities for greater equality, truth, recognition, acceptance and wholeness.

Sikh Formations Religion, Culture, Theory , 2014

This article examines the intersection between Sikh scripture as text and as ‘Living Guru’ (Bani... more This article examines the intersection between Sikh scripture as text and as ‘Living Guru’ (Bani Guru) enlivened through the performative practice of Gurbani Kirtan (singing devo- tional ‘Gurbani’ hymns enshrined in Sikh scripture). It ethnographically explores how practitioners negotiate between the diverse lived practices and orthopraxic conventions surrounding the physical and intangible forms of the Guru as Bani (Gurbani). Today, Gurbani Kirtan is sung and played in diverse musical styles, locations, and contexts and can be accessed through mass media technologies. These innovative practices raise questions about how Sikhs are to maintain the respect and devotional intentionality usually accorded the Gurbani while allowing for the possibility of future practices. This article questions orthopraxic notions by recognizing that Gurbani Kirtan offers an experiential methodology with the goal of embodying the Bani as Guru (Gurbani) within the self, thus transforming Sikh subjectivity altogether.