British Sikh identity and the struggle for distinctiveness and continuity (original) (raw)

Sikh Identity: an exploration of groups among Sikhs

Sikh Formations, 2011

Opinderjit Kaur Takhar's Sikh Identity begins with the question 'Who really is a Sikh?' (1), and explores this question through a study of diverse groups with claims or historical connections to self definition as 'Sikhs'. This question of 'who is a Sikh?', and the related question of 'who has the authority to decide who is a Sikh?', run as continuous threads throughout the book. One of Takhar's central theses, that 'there is no authoritative yardstick with which to address the issue of Sikh identity' (4), will undoubtedly be provocative to many Sikhs, but probably less so to scholars of religion who have inclined in recent years toward talking about 'Hinduisms', 'Judaisms', and 'Christianities', etc. Takhar's Sikh Identity can be seen as an exploration of Sikhisms, not in the sense of multiple distinct religions, but in the sense of an analysis of multiple diverse ways of being Sikh (in her own wording, there are '.. .many varieties of Sikhs in the Panth' (34), and a recognition of the diversity within what a term like 'Sikhism' points to. The book's brief (three-and-a-half-page) 'Introduction' lays out the central questions Takhar will address. Most of these key questions relate to the Rehat Maryādā and whether its Khālsā-normativity can be utilized as an authoritative measure of 'who is a Sikh?' when a large percentage of those who self-identify as Sikhs either (knowingly or not) do not fully adhere to its prescriptions, or do not recognize it as authoritative. It is somewhat curious that Takhar begins the book by asserting that, no, the Rehat Maryādā, and Khālsā-normativity, cannot be held up as authoritative for all Sikhs, because in the later chapters she continuously utilizes the Rehat Maryādā as a measure of normative or 'general Sikhism' with which to compare each group in terms of their beliefs and practices. I will discuss this more below. The book's first full chapter, titled 'Who is a Sikh? Historical perspectives', charts an historical overview of questions and issues surrounding Sikh identity and self definition, from the time of Gurū Nanak to Gurū Gobind Singh, through the Singh Sabha reforms, and into the modern era. Citing the work of Harjot Oberoi, W.H. McLeod, and Pashaura Singh, Takhar discusses the increasing 'institutionalization' of the Sikh Panth under each successive Gurū. Takhar draws out the questions raised by Gurū Nanak's emphasis on 'internal devotion', and the seeming change presented by the external requirements of the Khālsā form instituted under Gurū Gobind Singh. Perhaps because 'institutionalization' is a delicate and potentially controversial issue, at times Takhar seems

Caste and Identity Processes among British Sikhs in the Midlands

Sikh Formations, 2016

This article examines the role of caste in the lives and identities of a small sample of young Sikhs in the English Midlands, using social psychological theory. In many academic writings, there is an implicit representation of caste as a negative aspect of South Asian culture and religion, and of caste identification as a means of oppressing vulnerable outgroups. Twentythree young Sikhs were interviewed, and the qualitative data were analysed using Identity Process Theory. The following themes are discussed: (i) Caste as a Dormant Social Category, (ii) Anchoring the Caste Ingroup to Positive Social Representations, and (iii) Caste as an Inherent or Constructed Aspect of Identity? It is argued that neither caste nor castebased prejudice appear to be prominent in the lives and identities of our interviewees but that, because caste is an important symbolic aspect of identity which can acquire salient in particular contexts, some Sikhs may wish to maintain this identity though endogamy. What is understood as caste-based prejudice can be better understood in terms of the downward comparison principle in social psychology. The implications for caste legislation are discussed.

Sikh groups in Britain and their implications for criteria related to Sikh identity

2001

This thesis examines Sikh groups in Britain and the implications these have for criteria related to the issue of Sikh identity. Five groups have been selected. They are: the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jama; the Namdharis; the Ravidasls; the Valmikis; and the Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere, which is also frequently associated with the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO). The thesis begins with a historical analysis of Sikhism, to discover what it meant to be a Sikh in the days of the founder of the faith, Guru Nanak, and during the time of the successive Gurus. Political and social issues related to the development of Sikhism and emerging Sikh identity are examined also at the outset.

Transmission and Regeneration of Sikh Self: Culture in the Making

2013

The Sikh cultural narrative was explored using social representations in the public sphere. To this end textual analysis of newspaper articles (N=200) published from January 2003 to April 2005 was done. These analyses addressed four major domains: religio-cultural, political identity, contemporary trends, and redressing self-perception. The emerging themes evinced negotiation for creating a distinct space within the multicultural society of India. The task of putting one’s self-identity together, of making it coherent and presenting it to others as ‘their culture’, was warranted for making the boundaries of their community distinct from other existing groups. Bonding with the group emerged as the main source of motivation at the individual and community levels to assert a community’s identity. The relationship between self and culture is both intricate and complex. When we avidly search for their linkages, we tend to lose sight of the ability and adroitness with which individuals an...

Community Within Community: Politics of Exclusion in the Construction of Sikh Identity

POLITICS AND RELIGION IN CONTEMPORARY INDIA

The article examines the construction of religious identity among the Sikhs from the socio-historical perspective. It has been argued that the Sikh identity was constructed as a result of the colonial intervention in which the emphasis turned to the appearance instead of faith as such. The new identity was a product of the politics of the times and it was perpetuated in order to maintain the hegemonic domination. Sikhism, despite its egalitarian ideology, failed to create a casteless community. Discrimination and exclusion of lower castes continued. An empirical investigation into the conditions and perceptions of the lowest caste, namely Mazhabi clearly demonstrated their exclusion, whereas discourse of equality among the Sikhs is used to create a moral community. Despite the equality of worship among the Sikhs, the Mazhabis at the local level are denied the equal religious rights in the gurdwaras (Sikh temple) owned and controlled by the upper dominant castes. Roots of the exclusi...

Social Issues and Identity Threat of the Sikh Minority Community

2016

This paper attempts to present the social issues and fading identity problem faced by the Sikh community in Malaysia. Past studies show that there are no significant researches done specifically to identify the negative elements of the community issues. Several studies done mainly focussing the Sikh identity and language issues without relating to the social problems faced by the minority community. Through a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) three main issues were identified. The issues of language fading, identity threat and mix marriages are found to be the major problems faced by the Sikh community in Malaysia. Thus, the findings of this study hoped to unveil the real problems of the minority community and would be addressed by the Sikh religious institutions and organizations. The Sikh organizations must also engage with the government agencies as equal partners to eradicate the social problems. The outcome shows that the Punjabi language is on the threat as dominated by other major...

The construction of a Sikh national identity

2000

In modernist approaches, the religious and cultural homogeneity upon which Sikh elites have based their claims for nationhood is itself a recent invention, a product of elite or colonial manipulation. Particular attention has been paid to the activities of the Singh Sabha movement in the late nineteenth century and their elucidation of a tat khalsa discourse which became hegemonic in the twentieth century.

Losing my Religion: Sikhs in the UK

In the wake of the war on terror the British Sikh diaspora has made a conscious effort to distinguish and set themselves apart from the Muslim community. Although historically this distinction is not novel, within the UK such an effort to illustrate this difference has been enforced to a much greater extent and has become more prominent within a context in which Sikhs have often been mistaken for being Muslim. In an attempt to distance themselves from being represented as or amongst Muslims, Sikhs have adopted many of the racial pathologies which are widely embedded within Western culture and its antipathy towards Muslims and Islam. Recent years have thus seen the development of a Sikh variant of Islamophobia which shares some of the general themes associated with Islamophobic discourse but it also has unique inflections reflecting the particularities of Sikh history and contemporary circumstances. This article will examine the consequences of Sikh attempts to distinguish themselves from Muslims especially when this distinction comes in the form of uncritical assimilation. I will examine the cost of such assimilation upon Sikhs and Sikhness arguing for the development of alternative or counter-hegemonic narratives principally centred around decolonisation rather than assimilation.

Crisis of Identity in 20th Century: The Case of the Sikhs in India

PERENNIAL JOURNAL OF HISTORY

Punjab has been in turmoil since the partition of British India and now its predicament is the outcome of blend of factors. These factors may include mixing of religion with politics, central machination, vote-bank polities and obvious economic grievances. In the post-partition period, the Sikhs demanded affirmative discrimination largely based on colonial heritage job and regional autonomy. They started using ethnic symbols like history, geography, culture and land to gain sympathies of the masses and to attain greater political autonomy and economic benefits. Unfortunately, the Congress considered their struggle for identity disturbing for the secular outlook of India and put this social issue into the conceptual framework of communal politics and aligned it with Sikh tradition. The situation was politically engineered by Congress through mixing religion with politics and it took decisive actions following the divide and rule policy and extracted electoral benefits out of it. The ...