Sikhism (Dimensions of Asian Spirituality): 9 - Softcover

Jakobsh, Doris R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0824836014 ISBN 13: 9780824836016

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press, 2011

Synopsis

This volume offers a comprehensive overview of Sikhism, which originated in India's Punjab region five hundred years ago. As the numbers of Sikhs settling outside of India continues to grow, it is necessary to examine this religion both in its Indian context and as an increasingly global tradition. While acknowledging the centrality of history and text in understanding the main tenets of Sikhism, Doris Jakobsh highlights the religion's origins and development as a living spiritual tradition in communities around the world. She pays careful attention to particular events, movements, and individuals that have contributed to important changes within the tradition and challenges stereotypical notions of Sikh homogeneity and stasis, addressing the plurality of identities within the Sikh tradition, both historically and within the contemporary milieu.

Extensive attention is paid to the role of women as well as the dominant social and kinship structures undergirding Punjabi Sikh society, many of which have been widely transplanted through Sikh migration. The migration patterns are themselves examined, with particular focus on Sikh communities in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Finally, the volume concludes with a brief exploration of Sikhs and the Internet and the future of Sikhism.

About this title

About the Author

Doris R. Jakobsh is associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Waterloo in Canada.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0824836014
• ISBN 13: 9780824836016
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 184