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Sikhi, Sikhs and Caste: Lived Experiences in a Global Context
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Sikhi, Sikhs and Caste: Lived Experiences in a Global Context

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 10035

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Opinderjit Kaur Takhar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Sikh and Panjabi Studies, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton WV1 1LY, UK
Interests: caste issues and gender dynamics amongst Punjabis; Sikhs specifically

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will bring together contributions discussing the role played by caste amongst Sikhs in contemporary times from a global perspective.  It is often remarked that the Sikh Gurus set out to abolish the caste system per se.  However, much of the justification often given for this statement is based on an over-simplified understanding of a) what ‘caste’ refers to; 2) how caste operates in the Panjab, and amongst Sikhs specifically.

Papers that explore the conjecture around the role played by caste amongst Sikhs to encapsulate lived experiences of how zat (caste) manifests itself on a practical level are welcome. Legislating against caste-based discrimination not just in India but in the UK and USA very much emphasises that caste is deeply entrenched in the India psyche. This Special Issue of Religions sets out to encapsulate such views and activism taking place on a global level. It also invites discussions around the reality of caste amongst Sikhs, and regarding how, in the UK in particular, many Gurdwaras are caste-based institutions. From the Reservations made for Dalits in Panjab India, to the amendment of the Equality Act in the UK, and to the legislation on caste in the USA, this Special Issue brings together key debates around caste amongst the global Panth (Sikh community).

You are invited to submit an abstract of 250 words highlighting your contribution to this much awaited volume, which will collate papers of 8000–10,000 words each.

Kindly send your abstracts to Dr. Opinderjit Kaur Takhar ([email protected]).

- For abstract submission - until 30 November 2024.
- For full manuscript submission - until 30 April 2025.

Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Opinderjit Kaur Takhar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • activism
  • /bani/
  • caste
  • egalitarianism
  • endogamy
  • equality
  • legislation
  • Panjabi culture
  • pollution
  • purity
  • Sikhi
  • /zat/

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 297 KiB  
Article
Sikh Religion and Contentions around Caste
by Surinder S. Jodhka
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1219; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101219 - 8 Oct 2024
Viewed by 3376
Abstract
Caste has been a contentious subject in Sikhism. While the Sikh theological canons have vehemently opposed its practice, it continues to be present among the Sikhs, including its discriminatory culture. The obvious response of the Sikh leaders and scholars has been to ask [...] Read more.
Caste has been a contentious subject in Sikhism. While the Sikh theological canons have vehemently opposed its practice, it continues to be present among the Sikhs, including its discriminatory culture. The obvious response of the Sikh leaders and scholars has been to ask for ‘a moral self-criticism’. The issue thus becomes praxeological, a matter of aligning ‘practice with the theory’. This is a simplistic response. Such a narrative also does not allow us to raise relevant questions about the contemporary framings of caste as a hegemonic construct. It also does not permit us to engage with its diverse empirics among the Sikhs and its other contextual dynamics. The paper argues that to move forward, we need to critically explore the currently popular notions of caste, most of which are drawn from orientalist and colonial constructs. They present India as being a land of Hindus and the practice of caste being its essential feature. The Indian nationalists enthusiastically endorsed such a framing because they found it useful for making claims about India’s cultural unity. Drawing from a large volume of historical and empirical writings, the paper identifies problems with such a narrative of caste which sees it as a purely religious practice. It further argues for a need to look at the materiality of caste. Religious prescripts, such as Manusriti, function as ‘ideological signals’ that promote and legitimize it. In contrast, the ideological signals provided by the Gurus and the Sikh religious canons are unambiguously opposed to such ascription-based hierarchies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sikhi, Sikhs and Caste: Lived Experiences in a Global Context)
15 pages, 298 KiB  
Article
Intertwined Critical Realms: Caste, Babas, Deras, and Social Capital Formation in Punjab (India)
by Ronki Ram
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1188; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101188 - 29 Sep 2024
Viewed by 932
Abstract
Deras are generally perceived as an alternative socio-religious space frequented mostly by lower castes and economically weaker sections of society. They promise to make a significant difference to the lives of such vulnerable sections of society by lending them much needed spiritual, moral, [...] Read more.
Deras are generally perceived as an alternative socio-religious space frequented mostly by lower castes and economically weaker sections of society. They promise to make a significant difference to the lives of such vulnerable sections of society by lending them much needed spiritual, moral, and social support. Within the sprawling premises of Deras, downtrodden find a welcoming ‘counter-public’ enriched with social capital, which offers them an egalitarian domain free from the afflictions of caste discriminations, social exclusion, and subtle indignities often faced by them within the mainstream religious spheres. The growth of Deras thus may be seen as an index of subaltern socio-cultural and syncretic religious realms generating a rich haul of social capital. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sikhi, Sikhs and Caste: Lived Experiences in a Global Context)
15 pages, 247 KiB  
Article
Modernity and Caste in Khatri and High-Caste Men’s Auto/Biographies
by Anshu Malhotra
Religions 2024, 15(9), 1125; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091125 - 18 Sep 2024
Viewed by 910
Abstract
This paper studies the auto/biographies of high-caste middle-class Punjabi Khatri men, and those of cognate castes like Arora and Baniya, written in the first half of the twentieth century: men who were born in the second half of the nineteenth century or early [...] Read more.
This paper studies the auto/biographies of high-caste middle-class Punjabi Khatri men, and those of cognate castes like Arora and Baniya, written in the first half of the twentieth century: men who were born in the second half of the nineteenth century or early twentieth century. While the discourse on caste under the colonial regime exploded, there was also an embarrassment about caste, or re-thinking its place in society among the upper-caste groups who invested in ideas of progress, improvement and scientism. It is argued that caste was referenced in the memoirs, life stories and self-reflexive writing when these men spoke of their familial backgrounds and admired the deep religiosity and devotionalism of their fathers even though some paternal practices were incongruent with the reformism of the sons. Caste is also in play when one traces the advantages of literacy, education, professional accomplishments, mobility, and reformist activities of men who came to have an important presence in public life. A number of these men had similar life trajectories, indicative of how some aspects of colonial educational and administrative structures could be utilized by them. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sikhi, Sikhs and Caste: Lived Experiences in a Global Context)
18 pages, 261 KiB  
Article
Deras, Identity, and Caste Cleavages in the Sikh-Dominated Society of Punjab
by Surinder Singh
Religions 2024, 15(9), 1039; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091039 - 27 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1097
Abstract
The argument of the paper is that deras, as religio-spiritual and philanthropic organizations, play a critical role in the identity formation of their followers (by providing them distinct symbols, sacred texts, gurus, cultural traits, codes of conduct, rituals, and prayers), which score the [...] Read more.
The argument of the paper is that deras, as religio-spiritual and philanthropic organizations, play a critical role in the identity formation of their followers (by providing them distinct symbols, sacred texts, gurus, cultural traits, codes of conduct, rituals, and prayers), which score the social surface and carve out numbers of distinct religio-cultural groups in the Sikh-dominated society of Punjab. Moreover, the value gainsay, along with the orchestrated identity formation process of deras, generates conflict in the Sikh-dominated society of Punjab, which deepens the prevailing social cleavages as well as generating new conflicts in the society. Such conflicts further degrade the social position of deras’ followers (who invariably belong to Scheduled Castes and Backward Castes) and even marginalize them within their own erstwhile caste(s) and community. By taking Dera Sacha Sauda as a reference, the paper shows that the value gainsay and the identity formation processes of the dera generate social conflict between its followers and radical Sikhs in Punjab. The study reveals that such conflict not only generates new social cleavage(s) (viz., Premies vs. Sikhs) between the two ideologically distinct segments but also engenders the prevailing caste and class cleavages in society. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sikhi, Sikhs and Caste: Lived Experiences in a Global Context)
16 pages, 282 KiB  
Article
Sikh Diasporic Approaches in Anti-Caste Activism
by Jasleen Singh
Religions 2024, 15(8), 1013; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15081013 - 20 Aug 2024
Viewed by 749
Abstract
This article looks at how Sikh ethical principles are informing how Sikh diasporic activists approach contemporary social justice issues around caste abolition. The article is divided into three different sections that look at the history of castes within Punjab and the North American [...] Read more.
This article looks at how Sikh ethical principles are informing how Sikh diasporic activists approach contemporary social justice issues around caste abolition. The article is divided into three different sections that look at the history of castes within Punjab and the North American Sikh diaspora, especially in the late 19th c. but with some reference to contemporary history. Later, I utilized my interviews with Sikh activists who have supported recent legislation in Seattle and California around caste discrimination. Finally, the article discusses the work of a Sikh queer collective, a group I have worked with over a period of two years, to examine how notions of queerness and anti-caste politics within Sikh principles might be a path forward towards caste abolition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sikhi, Sikhs and Caste: Lived Experiences in a Global Context)
19 pages, 310 KiB  
Article
We Are Conscious of Caste, but Do We Live Our Lives through It? A Case Study of Gendered Caste Marginality
by Parvinder Kaur
Religions 2024, 15(8), 972; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15080972 - 10 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1014
Abstract
Despite the strict rejection of casteism by the Sikh faith, caste-based hierarchies are still a prevalent factor amongst Sikh diasporas within the UK. On the basis of ethnographic fieldwork amongst women whose caste is considered to occupy a lower status, this paper examines [...] Read more.
Despite the strict rejection of casteism by the Sikh faith, caste-based hierarchies are still a prevalent factor amongst Sikh diasporas within the UK. On the basis of ethnographic fieldwork amongst women whose caste is considered to occupy a lower status, this paper examines their experiences and explores how, over time, this has contributed to the construction of their identity. This article situates the women within a nexus of complex social and cultural factors, illuminating the representations of caste, gender and intergenerational change within Nottingham. An intersectional standpoint provided an analytical value in accentuating the sites where gender, caste and the mediation of honour intersected. The research shows a heterogeneity in the self-positioning of women vis-à-vis caste identity and shows a marked difference in attitudes between generations, denoting a depreciation in the significance of caste. Ultimately, while the respondents were conscious of their caste and of the historical prejudice against their caste, it is significant that they did not live their lives through it, as they internalised Sikhi as their core identity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sikhi, Sikhs and Caste: Lived Experiences in a Global Context)
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