Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century

Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century
Author: Hardip Singh Syan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 325
Release: 2020-04-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1350160997

Traces the development of Sikh militarization and rebellion through examinations of the intellectual dialogues within the community and the place of Sikhs in the Mughal Empire.

Fighting for Faith and Nation

Fighting for Faith and Nation
Author: Cynthia Keppley Mahmood
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2010-08-03
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0812200179

The ethnic and religious violence that characterized the late twentieth century calls for new ways of thinking and writing about politics. Listening to the voices of people who experience political violence—either as victims or as perpetrators—gives new insights into both the sources of violent conflict and the potential for its resolution. Drawing on her extensive interviews and conversations with Sikh militants, Cynthia Keppley Mahmood presents their accounts of the human rights abuses inflicted on them by the state of India as well as their explanations of the philosophical tradition of martyrdom and meaningful death in the Sikh faith. While demonstrating how divergent the world views of participants in a conflict can be, Fighting for Faith and Nation gives reason to hope that our essential common humanity may provide grounds for a pragmatic resolution of conflicts such as the one in Punjab which has claimed tens of thousands of lives in the past fifteen years.

Sikh Nationalism

Sikh Nationalism
Author: Gurharpal Singh
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2021-11-25
Genre: History
ISBN: 100921344X

This important volume provides a clear, concise and comprehensive guide to the history of Sikh nationalism from the late nineteenth century to the present. Drawing on A. D. Smith's ethno-symbolic approach, Gurharpal Singh and Giorgio Shani use a new integrated methodology to understanding the historical and sociological development of modern Sikh nationalism. By emphasising the importance of studying Sikh nationalism from the perspective of the nation-building projects of India and Pakistan, the recent literature on religious nationalism and the need to integrate the study of the diaspora with the Sikhs in South Asia, they provide a fresh approach to a complex subject. Singh and Shani evaluate the current condition of Sikh nationalism in a globalised world and consider the lessons the Sikh case offers for the comparative study of ethnicity, nations and nationalism.

Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century

Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century
Author: Hardip Singh Syan
Publisher:
Total Pages: 328
Release: 2013
Genre: Mogul Empire
ISBN: 9780755623709

"In the seventeenth century, the Sikh community entered into a process of militarisation which would culminate in rebellion against the Mughal Empire. Images of a despotic Mughal state, religious intolerance, vulnerable Sikhs and the idea of an inevitable Sikh 'militancy' would come to characterise the period's historiography. This book examines the development of Sikh militancy in this era, highlighting how the Sikh literati, and eventually the public, engaged with the subject of Sikh religious violence. In doing so, it fundamentally challenges the coherent grand narratives of early Sikh history. Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century addresses the issue of 'doxa' in early Sikh writing and illustrates how retrospective readings have distorted the experiences of the historical Sikh community. Drawing on a range of medieval Sikh sources, it focuses on the intellectual dialogues within the community. Additionally, it attempts to embed the community within the Mughal world; assessing how far it was influenced by wider cultural, intellectual and social processes. The development of Sikh militancy in the seventeenth century was neither natural nor inevitable.Instead, a careful analysis reveals a heterogeneous community who discussed the ideas of their leaders and communally interpreted the Mughal state. Identifying significant distinctions in the community, this work thereby questions irredentist visions of Sikh and Mughal history. Furthermore, it seeks to depict the significance of religious discourse in pre-colonial India and the capacity of historical agents to fathom 'religion'. More broadly, the study also examines the history of violence in medieval South Asia, contextualising the concepts of 'peace' and 'militancy' in medieval South Asian theology and political philosophy."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

Medieval Panjab in Transition

Medieval Panjab in Transition
Author: Surinder Singh
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 457
Release: 2022-06-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000609448

This book reconstructs the historical transition in the undivided Panjab during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It shows that the assertion of Mughal and Afghan suzerainty faced sustained resistance from local elements, particularly the autonomous tribes and hill chiefdoms. In central plains, Dulla Bhatti mobilized the toilers of his ancestral domain and, leading a relentless fight against the Mughal oppression, became an abiding symbol of resistance in the collective memory. The multicultural legacy of Panjab evolved through diverse strands of spirituality. The jogis, wedded to monastic discipline, supernatural abilities and land grants, gained acceptance through their exertions for social betterment. The Sabiri and Qadiri silsilas channelized mystical urges towards the technique of prime recitation. The popular verses of Shah Husain, Baba Lal and Sultan Bahu proposed a loving relation with God. The legendary lovers, perishing in the struggles against patriarchal forces, promoted a merger of dissent with spirituality. In the city of Lahore, the material pursuits and cultural life were visible in a mosaic of descriptions, including episodes of social tension. The book understands the upliftment of depressed castes as a defining feature of Sikhism. It places egalitarian concern of the Sikh Gurus alongside the anti-caste protests of Namdev, Kabir and Ravidas. Owing to scriptural authority and congregational equality, the members of depressed castes attained a numerical majority in the Sikh warrior bands that shook the foundations of the Mughal state. The work relies on evidence from the Persian chronicles, Mughal newsletters, Sufi writings, Sikh literature and Punjabi folklore. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The Routledge Companion to the Life and Legacy of Guru Hargobind

The Routledge Companion to the Life and Legacy of Guru Hargobind
Author: Pashaura Singh
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 303
Release: 2024-08-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1040106323

This companion studies the life and legacy of Guru Hargobind (1590–1644), the Sixth Guru of the Sikh tradition. It highlights the complex nature of Sikh society and culture in the historical and socio-economic context of Mughal India. The book reconstructs the life of Guru Hargobind by exploring the “divine presence” in history and memory. It addresses the questions of why and how militancy became explicit during Guru Hargobind’s spiritual reign and examines the growth of the Sikh community’s self-consciousness, separatism, and militancy as an integral part of the process of empowerment of the Sikh Panth. A unique contribution, this book provides a multidisciplinary paradigm in the reconstruction of Guru Hargobind’s life and legacy. It will be indispensable for students of Sikh studies, religious studies, history, sociology of religion, anthropology, material culture, literary and textual studies, politics, militancy, and South Asian studies.

The Cherished Five in Sikh History

The Cherished Five in Sikh History
Author: Louis E. Fenech
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2021
Genre: History
ISBN: 0197532845

Despite the centrality of this group to modern Sikhism, scholarship on the Panj Piare has remained sparse. Louis Fenech's new book examines the Khalsa and the role that the Panj Piare have had in the development of the Sikh faith over the past three centuries.

Pratirodh: The Resistance—Spotlighting the Rajputana, Maratha and Sikh campaign against Aurangzeb

Pratirodh: The Resistance—Spotlighting the Rajputana, Maratha and Sikh campaign against Aurangzeb
Author: Lt General Dalip Singh
Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2023-04-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 9355217668

Cast in the backdrop of the Mughal era during the reigns of Aurangzeb and his successors, Pratirodh is a saga of the relentless resistance by a few brave men against a seemingly invincible Empire to protect their honour and way of life. In response to the rather partisan policies of Mughal emperors, a number of personalities came forward in different parts of Hindustan, to lead people in resisting the tyranny. Though the geographical dispersion precluded any visible unified approach, they were indirectly benefitted by each other. When Aurangzeb got cowed down in Rajputana against the unified resistance of Marwar and Mewar, it provided much needed succour to the great Shivaji and Guru Govind Singh to regroup and consolidate forces in their respective areas. The credit for tying down the Mughals for the longest period in history goes to the Marathas; this also acted as a lifeline to the Sikhs, Rajputs, Bundelas and Jats. Rajputs and Sikhs repaid their debt to Marathas by keeping the Mughals, post Aurangzeb, completely embroiled in Punjab and Rajputana, and indirectly paving the way for an almost unchallenged rise of the Marathas. The prolonged resistance witnessed the supreme sacrifices of numerous unsung heroes of medieval history. Through unmatched grit and determination, they succeeded in bringing down the mighty Empire to its knees, eventually leading to its demise.

Young Sikhs in a Global World

Young Sikhs in a Global World
Author: Knut A. Jacobsen
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2016-03-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1134790813

In attempting to carve out a place for themselves in local and global contexts, young Sikhs mobilize efforts to construct, choose, and emphasize different aspects of religious and cultural identification depending on their social setting and context. Young Sikhs in a Global World presents current research on young Sikhs with multicultural and transnational life-styles and considers how they interpret, shape and negotiate religious identities, traditions, and authority on an individual and collective level. With a particular focus on the experiences of second generation Sikhs as they interact with various people in different social fields and cultural contexts, the book is constructed around three parts: 'family and home', 'public display and gender', and 'reflexivity and translations'. New scholarly voices and established academics present qualitative research and ethnographic fieldwork and analyse how young Sikhs try to solve social, intellectual and psychological tensions between the family and the expectations of the majority society, between Punjabi culture and religious values.

Religion and Politics: New Developments Worldwide

Religion and Politics: New Developments Worldwide
Author: Roy C. Amore
Publisher: MDPI
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2019-09-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3039214292

Religion and Politics: New Developments Worldwide features ten articles about recent developments in the interaction of Religion and Politics in various countries of Asia, Africa, Europe, and both North and South America. Most articles focus on one country, and including China, South Korea, India, Nigeria, Malaysia, France, and Cuba. Others address issues across regions such as Latin America, Southeast Asia, or the Middle East. The fifteen contributors are scholars from diverse disciplines as well as diverse regions of Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Subjects include the Indian government’s favoritism for Hinduism over rival religions; the way the Sikhs of India avoid the religion–politics divide; the way the Western media fails to fully understand the Chinese government’s policies on religious minorities; the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo demonstrations in France; religious attitudes toward tax politics in South Korea as well as among Christians compared to Muslims; how to lessen the radicalization of Muslims in Southeast Asia; whether Nigeria should encourage its Muslims to be active in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation; the spiritual role played by the permaculture movement in Cuba; and how the former tendency of scholars to polarize religion and politics is no longer viable, especially in Latin America.