Sikh Separatism: The Politics of Faith

by Rajiv A. Kapur

First published in 1986, Sikh Separatism is a comprehensive study of the emergence of Sikh unrest in India. The appearance of Sikh fundamentalism and separatism is not a sudden development. They are both shown to have deep social and historical roots linked to the growth of contemporary Sikh identity, community and organization. The genesis of Sikh communal consciousness and organization lies in a social and religious reform movement among Sikhs from the 1870s to the 1920s. This movement is believed to have moulded Sikh perceptions of their political interests and resulted in the establishment of an institutional framework which has served as an arena and a base for Sikh separatism. The development of this reform movement and its motivations, the strategies and tactics employed by the reformers and its profound political implications are examined. This book will be of interest to students of political science, international relations, and South Asian studies.

272 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Theresa Leone Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of the Sikhs, both in India and in North America, is excellent. I learned a lot, including the amount of virulent racism Sikhs faced, particularly after the beginning of the twentieth century, when large numbers began emigrating to the United States and Canada. The history of the religion is comprehensive in the book, as is the politics of Sikhs in India. The only problem is that the book is about thirty years old so I will have to look elsewhere for more information about what they've done in that time politically. Nevertheless, an informative, interesting book, one I highly recommend.

[Nishant Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whenever we talk of Sikh Separatism, the timeline that comes to our mind is 80s, but it wasn’t a sudden upsurge. It has a history and this book covers it briefly. It starts with basic info about the Guru Parampara of Sikhi and what does it mean, covering various aspects. From here it goes to the impact Christian Evangelism had on Sikh Aristocratic minds and ultimately leading to formation of sikh institutions to counter it . The Hindu-Sikh schism and fight of political consciousness . Basically to sum it up it is a book that can give you basic idea about the historical perspectives about why the events in 1980s took shape in Punjab .

[Nishu Thakur · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read book on this topic.

[Amarjeet Singh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Other than the usual political chicanery and selective cherry-picking, Kapur offers nothing new in this post-structuralist atrocity which argues that the Sikhs retained no distinct identity prior to the Singh-Sabha and are themselves at fault for their genocides. More interestingly, the author claims that the "original" (what parameters define originality are never explicated) Sikhs retained a 'fluid' sense of identity defined by caste and region. Why then did caste and region become static facets of a fluid identity? The ultimate crowning notoriety is the dismissal of the Guru Granth as canonical authority to argue that the Sikhs have falsified their own faith. An insult to academia.