Aspects Of Sikhism

McLeod's interest embraces all aspects of the life and beliefs of the Sikh people, and is of particular value as an outsider's research into a living religious faith."

An accessible introduction to the world's fifth largest religion, this work presents Sikhism's meanings and myths, and its practices, rituals, and festivals, also addressing ongoing social issues such as the relationship with the Indian state, the diaspora, and caste.

Arguing that intellectual movements, such as deconstruction, postsecular theory, and political theology, have different implications for cultures and societies that live with the debilitating effects of past imperialisms, Arvind Mandair unsettles the politics of knowledge construction in which the category of "religion" continues to be central. Through a case study of Sikhism, he launches an extended critique of religion as a cultural universal. At the same time, he presents a portrait of how certain aspects of Sikh tradition were reinvented as "religion" during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. India's imperial elite subtly recast Sikh tradition as a sui generis religion, which robbed its teachings of their political force. In turn, Sikhs began to define themselves as a "nation" and a "world religion" that was separate from, but parallel to, the rise of the Indian state and global Hinduism. Rather than investigate these processes in isolation from Europe, Mandair shifts the focus closer to the political history of ideas, thereby recovering part of Europe's repressed colonial memory. Mandair rethinks the intersection of religion and the secular in discourses such as history of religions, postcolonial theory, and recent continental philosophy. Though seemingly unconnected, these discourses are shown to be linked to a philosophy of "generalized translation" that emerged as a key conceptual matrix in the colonial encounter between India and the West. In this riveting study, Mandair demonstrates how this philosophy of translation continues to influence the repetitions of religion and identity politics in the lives of South Asians, and the way the academy, state, and media have analyzed such phenomena.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

First published in 1992.

Collection of lectures delivered at various occasions.

The idealistic approach of Sikhism is that it recognizes the existence of the same heavenly Light in every human being. Therefore the doors of the Sikh temple called Gurdwara are open for all in this world without any prejudice or social discrimination. Every person in this world has equal rifght to enter and join the services in the Gurdwara.

The Present Volume Sikhism And Women Identifies A Number Of Major Issues And Combines Empirical Materials With Theoretical Insight And Discusses The Actual Position Of Women In Sikh Society.The Present Volume Comprising Of Twelve Chapters Is An Attempt To Highlight Not Only The Significant Role Of Sikh Women In Indian Society But Also The Multi-Dimensional Aspects Of Sikhism And Sikh Women.We Are Happy To Place This Book In The Hands Of Our Esteemed Readers With A High Hope That This Book Will Be Of Immense Use For Their Academic As Well As Professional Purposes.