SIKHOLARS 2011 ABSTRACTS: Seva Sambhal da DanTavleen Kaur, University of Michigan

The past and the present coexist in Punjab, “land of the Gurus.” Significant moments from the past, as remembered in the collective memory of Sikhs, are matched to particular sites where the remembered events took place. Gurdwara buildings serve as a physical and tangible connection to history. This paper examines how history is relived and activated by the act of visiting a gurdwara. The largest focus of this paper is on hypotheses that suggest why and how the gurdwara form, as it is used and understood in their contemporary form, came about, and what financial role the Green Revolution of the 1960s and 70s played in the homogenization of the architectural and aesthetic form of the gurdwara. It also aims to explain why these reconstructed gurdwaras are still considered ithasak since most of the ‘historic’ gurdwara buildings are no more than sixty years old.

Community Perspectives on Gender inequality amongst Punjabi Sikhs in CaliforniaSemran Kaur Mann, Loma Linda University

Patriarchy and devaluation of women is rampant within the Sikh populace. Although various social and health organizations have been on high alert about the increasingly disproportionate sex ratio in East Punjab (874:1000 in 2001), few have been able to provide any solutions. However the problem is far from limited to Punjab. Before the problem of male-preference can be addressed the issue must be understood from the community’s perspective. Punjabi Sikh communities are underserved in health systems but their perspectives are seldom elicited in program planning, or health research. This study helps fill that gap by presenting community perspectives on male-preferential practices. In this paper I will discuss the methodology and results of a survey designed to assess the attitudes and beliefs of male-preference amongst Punjabi Sikhs in California. The analysis will focus on social attitudes and pressures as well as personal values and beliefs regarding male versus female children.

Unee Saun Chaurasee Di Gal Main Sunaavaan: Violence, Performance, and Diasporic Sikh YouthKamal Arora, York University

How are violence and suffering rendered intelligible, and how do they inform diasporic identity? How is communal pain framed and understood by diasporic Sikh youth, and for what purpose? In this paper, I will explore to what extent historical and political violence involving Sikhs in Punjab and New Delhi in 1984, through normative assumptions and frameworks of martyrdom and violence, serve to inform and solidify notions of community and for diasporic Sikh youth in Vancouver, British Columbia and the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario. I would like to examine to which extent the notion of community is solidified by performative and artistic representations and retellings of violence, specifically the violence which occurred against Sikhs in India in 1984, by examining When Lions Roar, and Remember ’84, memorial events organized by the Sikh Activist Network.

Gurdwara, Sikh Youth and Identity Politics in London: A Case Study of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara Southall and the Transmission of British Sikh Cultural IdentitiesGurbachan Singh Jandu, St. Mary’s University College

In modern day London the youth in the Sikh community are increasingly dividing along religious and non-religious lines. In a newly aroused, post-9/11 movement, some sections are devoting more time and resource to pursuing a traditionally organised religious Sikh way of life. In contrast to this, there is an equally strong, albeit less structured movement in away from the Sikh religion’s tenants and practices. Lying in between the two is a third section that favours cultural practises and symbols, practices some religious mores but does not exhibit religiosity as they are attracted to London s territorial cultural symbolism shown via religious markings and displays. This paper will propose that this polarisation is due to the modern practice of an intrinsic relationship between Sikhism as a religion and the Punjabi culture. In current day Sikh youth a big show is made of incorporating religion into the fabric of youth culture, hence a Khanda belt is available as well as Sikh car flags. This paper will ask why London’s Sikh youth choose to exhibit religious symbols in this manner, is it religion, culture or just youth exuberance.

Sikh Sculpture: Myth or Reality?Sonia Kaur Dhami, Sikh Foundation

Just 300 years into their existence, the Sikhs were the rulers of an impressive empire. This period was the genesis of the Sikh Arts – paintings, textiles, carpets, damascened articles, manuscripts, jewellery and sculpture. Most of these Sikh Art forms have been celebrated in exhibitions and publications by museums, academia and the community. The story of Sikh Sculpture is still somewhat unknown and unexplored primarily because of lack of knowledge due to inadequate attention been paid to it. One can even go so far as to say that it is also somewhat an “ignored art form” because of underlying personal religious beliefs, or at times dismissed en-class as “kitsch” or unsophisticated. This paper explores its usages, meanings, and value.

Migrating Identities: The Presence and Development of Sikh Characters in Literature of the South Asian DiasporaSimran Kaur, Boston University

With the growth of literature by and about South Asians in the diaspora, there is an evolving interest in discovering how Sikh characters are portrayed through this rhetoric. Literary scholar Stephen Greenblatt states that, “if an exploration of a particular culture will lead to a heightened understanding of a work of literature produced within that culture, so too a careful reading of a work of literature will lead to a heightened understanding of the culture within which it was produced.” In this paper, I will review a comprehensive list of literary texts to document the presence and development of Sikh characters. In my discussion I will explore the growth and development of Sikh characters in literary texts and the implications of this narrative.

Gurudwara: The Next Generation - The Re-envisioning of Sikh Institutions in the United States through Organizational and Systems Theory Sujot Kaur, Seattle University

The primary Sikh institutions in the United States are Gurudwaras. Though these spaces share a historical memory of the legacy established by the Gurus, there is ample critique over how these spaces function by youth and elders alike. This study, thus aims to provide a comparative exploration of the organizational framework and political/management system of historical Sikh institutions as well as the modern Sikh Gurudwara system. Using current western systems thinking and organizational modeling, an alternative understanding of Sikh institutions can be expanded. This systemic application to an established institution has the potential for transformation in a weakening system. The broader aim of this research is to also examine how a historical understanding can inform contemporary efforts in the local reorganization of Sikh institutions within the United States.

“Each child has a right to cultural identity”: An exploration of the roles of Sikh mothers in their child’s identity formationTarnjit Kaur Johal, Daresbury Laboratory

Mothering within the Sikh community has been primarily left the responsibility of formulating, shaping and creating the space for the child’s cultural and religious identity; however, due to the strongly patriarchal nature of the Punjabi community (and therefore the majority of Sikh communities) the mother’s role as being responsible for religious socialization is often contested. The general question I ask in this paper is how does one navigate the journey of cultivating a social, cultural or religious identity in one’s children within the Sikh Diaspora. In asking this question I then turn to specific question of maintaining kesh within Sikhi. I attempt to explore this thesis through the thematic analysis of Sikh mothers’ narratives, academic and non-academic literature as well as my own experiences. In addition I approached a series of Sikh men to ask them of their experiences of maintaining kesh.

The 1984 Sikh Genocide: Investigating Political Violence and Secondary Re-victimization in the Sikh DiasporaAmneet Singh Bali, University of Ottawa

Since the partition of India and its liberation from Colonial rule, the Sikhs have experienced documented cases of human rights violations at the behest of the central government of India. These incidents have included discriminatory policies and periods of extrajudicial killings, torture and disappearance of Sikh youth. Since these violent acts took place, the Sikh community has been left with massive, deep-rooted trauma. The inability to access justice, the failure of the state to implement reconciliatory processes and instead adopt a policy of impunity by ignoring massive bodies of evidence, has contributed to this. This study thus aims to explore how this dynamic has impacted Sikhs in the Diaspora – specifically Canada. Thus, this paper will explore how the trauma as a result of 1984, has not been addressed, and processes of reconciliation adopted by the Diaspora has been met with “blowback” and political violence subjecting the Sikh community to a process of Secondary Re-victimization.

Understanding Sikh-Hindu Conflict in Punjab in the light of Nietzsche’s PhilosophySandeep Singh Dhillon, Panjab University,Chandigarh

The paper tries to understand the Sikh-Hindu conflict, its origin, causes and its development over a period of time up to the present. Using Nietzsche’s philosophy of master morality and slave morality, superman and the herd of sheep, early history of good and evil, and cultural death of God and one can come to know what is happening in Punjab and what the future is going to be like if while understanding Nietzsche’s philosophy one takes Sikhs to be lions or superman and Hindus to be sheep or herd of sheep and one can easily forecast the future possibilities of bloodshed or peace. Massive bloodshed is going to happen because of cultural death of God and people largely becoming immoral. Today Punjab and India stand where Europe was before the World Wars, a Pandora’s Box is about to be opened.

Homeland and the Diaspora in Punjabi filmsRanjanpreet Kaur Nagra, University of Michigan

My analysis of Punjabi films and viewer interviews is an effort to influence the way we view imported media from India. Indian films and television are a huge part of diaspora’s connection with their homeland, and a careful analysis of these media sources is in order. In addition, viewer’s response to these media is also a fruitful source for understanding diaspora lives. The viewer’s responses help us understand the real issues of diaspora that the films do not reflect. In my analysis I will show that Punjabi films have failed to voice diaspora concerns about living in the West. The films depict the diaspora to be bound within the confines of the culture of the homeland.

Relevance of Gender-Sensitive Policies and General Health Indicators to Compare the Status of South Asian Women’s HealthRoopan Kaur Gill, University of Toronto

Through a review of four documents under the umbrella of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN), a list of 17 gender-sensitive policy and 17 general health indicators was generated with a focus on health, education, economic and political empowerment and violence against women. All five South Asian countries had several gender-sensitive policies that were measurable by indicators that contribute to health. Examination of political and economic status, birth sex ratios, human trafficking, illiteracy rates, maternal mortality rates, contraception prevalence, fertility rates, knowledge of HIV/AIDS prevention, access to skilled birth attendants and microfinance show that large gender inequities still prevail despite the presence of gender-sensitive policies. In many cases, the presence of gender-sensitive policies did not reflect the realization of gender equity over a wide range of indicators. Although the economic, political, social and cultural climates of the five countries may differ, the integration of women’s needs into formulation, implementation and monitoring of policies is a universal necessity to achieve positive outcomes.

Gender Discrimination within the Punjabi Population: A Community Case StudyAmandeep Kaur Dhillon, California State University, Northridge

Gender discrimination practices that present barriers to the healthy development of female children son preference have been little studied outside of India, Africa, China, and other non-Western countries. This study will explore the prevalence of gender discrimination practices within the United States. The question to be addressed within this study is whether there has been a change in opinion towards son preference and gender discrimination across two cohorts of Punjabi women. Particularly, with many of the factors that lead to traditional son preferences in India being absent in the United States, do 1.5 and 2nd generation Punjabi women still carry the same traditional son preference values as the older immigrant 1st generation of Punjabi women? This study is a qualitative-exploratory study and utilizes qualitative interviewing as a method of data collection. The researcher will use the Interview Guide Approach (IGA) to collect data from the participants. Snowball sampling in combination with the Grounded Theory Method (GTM) will be utilized to gather participants. Interviews will be conducted one-on-one between the subject and researcher.

Saadi Avaaz: The Construction of Sikh Identity & Issues by Popular & News MediaVarinder Singh Johal, York University

Working from a post-colonial studies perspective, the research question being asked here is “what discourses are at play in the media’s presentation of Canadian Sikh identity and issues pertaining to the Sikh community?” Tied to this is the question of how the Sikh community is conceptualized by the larger Canadian community, which is linked in part to how it is portrayed by the media. Using a Foucauldian genealogical analysis of a series of Bollywood films and their portrayal of Punjabi culture and the Sikh community, I then turn to a similar analysis of paper news media coverage of a number of ‘critical’ events, labeled accordingly, as they evoked a strong response from the Canadian Sikh community. These two events are: the 2010 Surrey Vaisakhi festival and the threats made against Member of Parliament, Ujjal Dosanjh; and a visit by Kamal Nath, an Indian Government official who was linked with the 1984 pogroms, to Canada. This analysis demonstrates not only the presence of bias but also the perpetuation of racist, xenophobic and colonialist responses from the media. A Critical examination of the impact of such practices is conducted and areas of resistance are also identified to demonstrate the existence of counter discourses, a push for greater accountability and promise of a more informed awareness of the issues.

Nihangs and the Lahore DarbarSharanjit Kaur Sandhra, Centre for Indo Canadian Studies, University of the Fraser Valley

There is no doubting that Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a great ruler who managed to unite the entire Sikh nation, and even thwart off British interests in his land. Yet despite the obvious immense power Ranjit Singh held, the presence of the Nihangs, thwarted somewhat, and altered such dynamics of power. I argue that the Nihangs were able to alter the balances of power within the Sikh court through their dual presence as players within the Sikh court, and allies of the Maharaja, and then their opposite role as players outside of the Sikh court, and disturbers of such powers. I argue that although on the one hand, the Nihangs were active fighters for and protectors of Ranjit Singh, and were thus even incorporated into the ever famous darbar portraits, there was a dual aspect of this sect which countered their loyal nature. I also argue that the Nihangs were able to demonstrate great power within the Sikh court of the 19th century as they also were a continual menacing and disturbing presence, often abusing European visitors, disobeying orders, and even verbally and physically abusing the Maharaja himself.

Loyal India: Experiences and Perceptions of Sepoys and Sowars Serving on the Western Front during the Great WarElizabeth Weigler, University of California at Santa Barbara

Great Britain declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914 shortly after the German invasion of Belgium. Almost immediately thereafter, with the support of the native governing bodies and peoples of India, Great Britain sent a significant portion of the Indian Army to strengthen the Allied lines of defense in France. At the outbreak of the war, the allies lacked a sufficient number of trained and mobilized troops in Europe, which necessitated the siphoning of troops from other parts of the empire. The Meerut and Lahore divisions were the first to arrive in Marseilles in September of 1914 after having set sail from “Loyal India” at the end of August. By the end of that year, almost one third of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front was Indian. They were used to fill in cracks in the lines where casualties had been particularly heavy, and to many, performed their part with distinction, honor, and bravery. Little is remembered of the service the men of the Indian Army rendered to the Allies during their short time in France, but the letters written between the men and their families speaks volumes of their war experiences in distant lands. They fought a war they had little knowledge of amidst doubts of locale and the state of things back home. Most of their initial information came from Great Britain and their officers, but as the war went on, they used their own framework and experiences to gain insight into what was happening to them.

Thabla, Jazz, and then SomeNeelamjit Singh Dhillon, California Institute of the Arts

Neelamjit Dhillon talks about his artistic work as it pertains to traditional music forms and new approaches.