Download entire Journal volume [PDF] - Global and International ...

216 Natasha Behl: Sikh Nationalist Ideology
13
The respondents‟ construction of a recognizable Sikh identity is more
inclusive than what is often referred to in the literature as the “real” or “true”
Sikh identity. For example, Peter van der Veer argues that the hair and dress of
an amritdhari Sikh functions as a perfect boundary marker: “While it is often
difficult to discern the doctrinal differences between members of the
brotherhood and followers of other Sikh teachings, the hair and dress of a „real‟
Sikh maintain the boundary perfectly” (1994, p. 75-76). In contrast to van der
Veer, some respondents are willing to stretch the boundary of who counts as a
“real” Sikh by including kesdhari Sikhs as well as amritdhari Sikhs.
14 The SGPC is an elected body of the Khalsa. The SGPC first came into being
in response to the 1920s Gurdwara Reform Movement. Since then, the SGPC
has managed and maintained gurdwaras, prepared a standard edition of the Guru
Granth, issued authoritative statements on Sikh history, beliefs, and code of
conduct, and built a chain of schools and colleges.
15 See, for example, Opinderjit Kaur Takhar‟s Sikh Identity, W.H. McLeod‟s
Who is a Sikh?, and Brian Axel‟s The Nation’s Tortured Body.
References
Axel, B., 2001. The Nation’s Tortured Body: Violence, Representation, and the
Formation of a Sikh Diaspora. Durham: Duke University Press.
Brass, P., 1974. Language, Religion and Politics in North India. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Barrier, N. G., 1993. Sikh Studies and the Study of History. In J. Hawley and G.
S. Mann, ed. Studying the Sikhs: Issues of North America. Albany: University of
New York Press, pp. 25-46.
Fenech, L., 1997. Martyrdom and the Sikh Tradition. The Journal of American
Oriental Society, 117(4), pp. 623-642.
Mann, G. S., 2004. Sikhism. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
McLeod, W. H., 1989. Who is a Sikh? The Problem of Sikh Identity. Oxford:
Clarendon Press.
Metcalf, B. & Metcalf, T., 2002. A Concise History of India. New York:
Cambridge University Press.
Rao, A. 1985. “When Delhi Burnt.” Economic and Political Weekly, 19(49):
2066-2069.