SAN JOSE, CA – Leading young scholars converged at Stanford University this past weekend for Sikholars, the first Sikh Graduate Student Conference. The interdisciplinary group of scholars came from across North America for the event, which was the first of its kind. The standing-room only event began with Harinder Singh creatively discussing the views of scholarship emanating from Gurbani.
The opening panel “Beneath the Surface” featured papers from Harvard’s Erik Resly, York University’s Kamal Arora, and University of British Columbia’s Iqbal Kaur. Discussions ranged from the usages of the janamsakhi literature in understanding the Sikh experience, understandings of trauma by the wives of shaheeds in Punjab and widows of the Delhi Pogroms, and issues of perceptions of adolescent suicide by Punjabi Sikh families in British Columbia. The 2nd panel, titled “Locality: Old and New” saw topics on biodiversity, the role of izzat, and voices from North Delta. Bandana Kaur, Yale University, detailed her research the changes of Punjab’s ecology during the pre-Green Revolution period; Mette Bach, University of British Columbia, shared excerpts and accounts from her upcoming book about the changing people, lifestyles, and interactions in Punjabi-populated North Delta; Preet Kaur, York University, discussed the understandings of Canadian law with Punjabi Sikh immigrants.
The afternoon session, “Beyond Borders,” saw discussions beyond any national border. Ajeet Singh of Columbia University provided a critique of the historiography of Punjab/Sikh studies. Arvinder Kang of the University of Mississippi discussed his role and the ongoing debates in the promotion of Gurmukhi and Punjab on the internet today. Mandeep Kaur, University of Texas Austin, gave a literature review of health literature related to Sikhs. Finally, Harjant Gill, American University (Washington D.C.) concluded the panel with a discussion of Punjabi masculinities as reified and displayed in Punjabi films.
The event was made possible by the Sikh Spirit Foundation and the Jakara Movement. The Jakara Movement hopes to continue with such programming annually, while increasing its size and scope