Sikhs in Europe. Migration, Identities and Representations, Edited by Knut A. Jacobsen & Kristina Myrvold
Sikhs in Europe. Migration, Identities and Representations, Edited by Knut A. Jacobsen, University of Bergen, Norway; Kristina Myrvold, Lund University, Sweden (Ashgate, 2011)
Sikhs in Europe are neglected in the study of religions and migrant groups: previous studies have focused on the history, culture and religious practices of Sikhs in North America and the UK, but few have focused on Sikhs in continental Europe. This book fills this gap, presenting new data and analyses of Sikhs in eleven European countries; examining the broader European presence of Sikhs in new and old host countries. Focusing on patterns of migration, transmission of traditions, identity construction and cultural representations from the perspective of local Sikh communities, this book explores important patterns of settlement, institution building and cultural transmission among European Sikhs.
Contents: Introduction: Sikhs in Europe, Knut A. Jacobsen and Kristina Myrvold; Part I Sikhs in Northern and Eastern Europe: Institutionalization of Sikhism in Norway: community growth and generational transfer, Knut A. Jacobsen; The Sikh community in Denmark: balancing between cooperation and conflict, Helene Ilkjaer; The Swedish Sikhs: community building, representation and generational change, Kristina Myrvold; Sikhs in Finland: migration histories and work in the restaurant sector, Laura Hirvi; The Sikhs in Poland: a short history of migration and settlement, Zbigniew Igielski. Part II Sikhs in Southern Europe: Mirror games: a fresco of Sikh settlements among Italian local societies, Barbara Bertolani, Federica Ferraris and Fabio Perocco; ‘Did you get papers?’: Sikh migrants in France, Christine Moliner; Caste, religion, and community assertion: a case study of the Ravidasias in Spain, Kathryn Lum; Sikh immigrants in Greece: on the road to integration, Niki Papageorgiou. Part III Sikhs in the United Kingdom and Ireland: Sikh diversity in the UK: contexts and evolution, Eleanor Nesbitt; Sikh-ing beliefs: British Sikh camps in the UK, Jasjit Singh; The Valmiki, Ravidasi and Namdhari communities in Britain: self-representations and transmission of traditions, Opinderjit Kaur Takhar; The Sikh diaspora in Ireland: a short history, Glenn Jordan and Satwinder Singh; Glossary; Index.
Link to publisher – Ashgate: http://www.ashgate.com/default.aspx?page=637&pageSubject=549&calcTitle=1&sort=pubdate&forthcoming=1&title_id=10934&edition_id=14157
Sikhs in Latin America by Swarn Singh Kahlon
A NEW BOOK ON SIKH DIASPORA
For the first time,an effort has been made to complete the Sikh Diaspora map by covering Latin American countries.Case studies on
Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and other countries.
The book is now available from Manohar Publishers and Distributors, New Delhi.
1984 and the violence of memory
Opinion piece by Ravinder Kaur in The Hindu
More than a quarter century on, not much remains of ‘1984′ — shorthand for one of the largest pogroms in India’s postcolonial history when thousands of Sikhs were massacred in retribution for Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination — in the public memory. The voices of victims and eyewitnesses one often heard in courtrooms have almost retired in exhaustion. The names of state-appointed serial commissions to establish the facts on ground have by now joined footnotes of history in a long line of ineffective judicial commissions of similar nature. And more remarkably, the miscarriage of justice through long-winded judicial processes where eyewitnesses routinely turn hostile due to threats, incentives, pressures exerted by fixers, or because of plain weariness has ceased evoking any mass outrage. In any case, the victims are supposed to have ‘got over’ the event and ‘moved on,’ precisely as enterprising and forward-looking communities are expected to do.
Read full article: 1984 and the violence of memory
Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age (Paperback) – Routledge
href=”http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415586108/?sms_ss=wordpress”>Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age (Paperback) – Routledge.
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.
BNP exploiting the ‘Collective Amnesia’ of Marginalised Ethnic Minorities
The BNP is exploiting tensions between Muslim and Sikh communities, threatening to destabilise fragile relations, a leading academic has revealed.
The launch of a new report by Faith Matters (www.faith-matters.org) warns the BNP is seeking to ‘fish in troubled waters by reaching out to sections of Sikhs (and Hindus) in order to form a tactical alliance against Muslims to promote Islamaphobia’.
This is the first time any kind of substantive research has been undertaken on Muslim and Sikh tensions. It is a new but very real and growing problem.
Professor Gurharpal Singh who authored the report on behalf of Faith Matters, an organisation which works to reduce conflict both nationally and internationally, warned that ‘as tensions grow it will become increasingly difficult to contain this dispute within Britain’.
Despite this, the report indicates that both communities are suffering from a ‘collective amnesia’. In other words they have forgotten they share a common heritage, culture and history.
‘The only way to resolve the crisis is to re discover the sense of shared cultural and historic identity – it is better for them to work together,’ added Professor Singh.
Faith Matters founder and director Fiyaz Mughal OBE said: ‘There is a collective amnesia among the two communities which must be addressed, and quickly, otherwise it may cause localised tensions to flare into actual violence.’
‘Although the report illustrates how the BNP have exploited existing tensions, it also highlights that – by realising both groups have a shared common heritage, culture and political experience – these tensions may be overcome’
Full Report:The Adab – ‘Respect’ Research Programme Final 020510
Sikhs in Europe: Migration, Identity and Translocal Practices
June 16 – 18 at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University
The Centre for Theology and Religious Studies at Lund University is organizing a conference on the Sikhs in Europe. The aim is to gather leading scholars in the multi-disciplinary field of Sikh studies and discuss current research projects focusing on patterns of migration, identity formations, self-representations, transmission of traditions and translocal practices among Sikhs in different parts of Europe. While two conference days are dedicated to presentation and peer-review of papers by the members of the academic network Sikhs-in-Europe, the third conference day will be a workshop for Ph.D. students affiliated to European universities. The conference is open to students and researchers in all disciplines.
Final programme: Sikhs in Europe – Final Conference Program (1)
Sikh fighter pilots over Europe and Merlins in Afghanistan
The Times, 14 November, 2009
The British premiere of a documentary about British-trained Sikh fighter pilots of the First and Second World Wars is to be screened at the RAF Museum at Hendon, northwest London, on November 22. A seminar about the deployment of the Merlin helicopter in Afghanistan will be held at the same venue on March 10.
Diverse as they are, these two events illustrate what a small world of unexpected inter-relationships exists within the RAF. Both the first Sikh pilot, Flight Lieutenant Hardit Singh Malik, and the speaker at the seminar, Merlin pilot Squadron Leader Simon Reade from RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, are products of No 28 Squadron RAF. Reade is the squadron’s second-in-command.
Read full article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/court_and_social/article6916305.ece
Expanding Horizons: Sikh Studies at the Turn of the 21st Century
Saturday, November 14 & Sunday, November 15, 2009
University of California, Santa Barbara
For details, please see: http://www.global.ucsb.edu/punjab/index.html
Sikh Art and Film Festival – November 13-15, 2009
Sikh Lens is proud to offer its inaugural—and independent—Sikh Arts & Film Festival. The Festival celebrates Sikh culture and heritage, and will offer a variety of avenues for contributors to share their talent.
Get ready for a sumptuous treat that will light up all senses with a diverse assortment of films, books, art, performance pieces, and music that is “Sikh-centric.” To mark the 25th anniversary of the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, we will have a special dedication with rare photographs and independent documentaries on 1984 riots; and lectures and a panel discussion by esteemed speakers from around the world. The festival premieres stirring documentaries, book signings by notable authors, creations from world-renowned artists, and a special event showcasing youth performing music, poetry, rap, and everything else their creative imagination can conjure. We want to prove that “Sikhs’ Got Talent.” You will also get a chance to take a piece of our culture home through a silent auction.
Further details: http://www.sikhlens.com/
CFP: Sikhs in the World
February 20th, 2010
Stanford University
The Sikholars: Sikh Graduate Student Conference seeks to bring Sikhs and non-Sikhs working on Sikh-related issues to an annual conference that unites a breadth of graduate expertise. From academia, to health, law, and business entrepreneurship, the conference will bring together a wide array of disciplines and scholarly interests to create an institutionalized channel to present papers on research, and informal circuits or networks for continued discussion. Inviting submission of abstracts, the two-day conference elicits proposals on various aspects of Sikh economic, political, health, cultural, and social life.
Purpose of the Conference: Sikh Graduate Student Conference seeks to create a truly innovative and imaginative conference. By bringing together promising students in a truly multi-disciplinary fashion, we seek to incubate promising research by engaging various activists and scholars in the community together.
Sikholars: Sikh Graduate Student Conference invites papers for a conference to be held in the Stanford University on February 20th, 2010. Travel grants, hotel accommodations, and necessary arrangements will be rewarded to all authors of accepted papers.
The scope of the conference is global; papers may concentrate on particular localities or regions, or they may present cross- regional comparisons and convergences. We encourage submissions from a broad range of disciplines, methodologies, and perspectives. All topics are open ? from medicine, to law, to history, sociology, and all Sikh-related topics in-between.
Proposals for individual papers should be no more than 500 words in length and may be sent by email, with a current CV, to info@sikholars.org or uploaded at the conference website, www.sikholars.org. Selected papers may be published.
Submission Deadline: Please submit abstracts by November 15, 2009.
Please send all inquiries to info@sikholars.org.
Sikh Diaspora – Call for Contributors
I was recently approached by one of the editors of Brill’s History of Religions Series about the possibility of producing an edited volume on Sikh diaspora. As many of your know, the Brill series is a well-established and prestigious one. Nevertheless, a volume on Sikhism is notably absent from its long series list. A book on Sikh diaspora would begin to fill this gap.
I am issuing a call for contributors for such a volume. I am seeking papers with not only substantive content, but those that offer some theoretical or methodological reflections (broadly construed). I welcome contributions from a wide range of methodological and theoretical perspectives – from history to urban planning, from gender studies to performance studies, from comparative religion to the psychology religion, or from ethnomusicology to ethnographic studies. Papers of a theoretical nature dealing with the conceptual categories such as “diaspora” or “trans-nationalism” as they relate to Sikh diaspora are also welcome.
If you have a paper you are looking to publish, or have a conference paper you plan to develop for publication, please consider contributing to this project.
If this is something to which you would like to contribute, please let me know the general subject matter of the proposed paper. I would like to get a sense of the level of interest and participation in this project before proceeding further.
Dr. Michael Hawley, Associate Professor and Coordinator, Religious Studies, Mount Royal University, Email: mhawley@mtroyal.ca
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