Suchergebnisse

Dorothy Field is the one woman whose writing appears in major anthologies of European writing on Sikhs and their religion. Although Field's 1914 monograph was the first substantial study of Sikhism by a western woman, since early in the nineteenth century many other women have also commented on Sikh history, religion and society and described their face-to-face encounters in India (and, more recently, in the UK). For the purposes of this article, western women who have converted to Sikhism and western academics in Sikh Studies (in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries) have been omitted. Instead, this article introduces some of the female diarists, letter-writers, novelists and royals who have written about Sikhs and proceeds to illustrate three of their recurrent themes: the 'transformation' of the religion of Baba Nanak by later Gurus; the matter of 'idolatry' and, connected with this, the relationship of Sikhs to 'Hinduism'. The relevance of ethnography-both to my interrogation of the women's output and to their reporting of their engagement with Sikhs-is also considered, as is the nature of the friendships between western women and Sikhs.

Starting from recent UK media reports relating to Sikhs and vegetarianism, this article examines practice in the langar (gurdwaras' free food provision) before exploring earlier Sikh tradition (the scriptures, stories of the Gurus, and disciplinary codes) for religious guidance on meat-consumption. Contrary to some contemporary Sikh leaders' emphasis on vegetarianism, these older sources do not provide a consistently clear prohibition of meat-eating. Committed (Khalsa) Sikhs today belong to, or are at least influenced by, groupings such as the Akhand Kirtani Jatha and Damdami Taksal, each with its own code of practice. This article on the one hand suggests that Indic values and norms provide a relevant context to Sikh emphases on vegetarianism; on the other, it describes Sikhs' dismay that one of the UK's responses to meat provision in a religiously plural society directly conflicts with their code of conduct. The need for further ethnographic study is highlighted.

Given that the Sikhs' scriptures – the utterances of their Gurus - are works of poetry, this article majors on the daily presence of insects, birds, fish and mammals in the recitation of the image-rich poesy that makes up the Guru Granth Sahib. Appreciation of this imagery requires understanding of the rural Punjabi context and also of earlier Indic compositions, whether sacred or secular. The introduction of certain birds and animals in Sikh parables and miracles will receive attention, and – inevitably in view of the equation of male Sikhs with Singhs (lions, or is it tigers?) – 'big cats' will be centre-stage. A (Quaker) poet's bidding 'Do not observe, become…' will provide a stimulus to understand the more than symbolic animal presence in the Sikh universe. So too will ethical issues, centred on dietary discipline (vegetarian or non-vegetarian) and the legitimacy of hunting (the pursuit of two Gurus). Here consideration of Sikh's relationship to the older, wider Indic matrix calls for discussion, and highlights the differentiation of groupings within the Panth with regard to meat-eating, cow-slaughter etc. Sikh tradition affords creative resources for reconnecting with the environment in the era of a dawning ecumenical attention to ecological distress, whilst at the same time Sikhs, especially in diaspora, are increasingly distanced, culturally and linguistically, from the Gurus' imagery and from interaction with non-human animals.

The paper sets the author's introductions – in particular Sikhism A Very Short Introduction (2005a) – in the context of earlier introductions to (and more substantial treatments of) Sikhism. After noting challenges intrinsic to representing faith traditions, and the particular task of the writer of introductions, my focus rests on reflexivity and the fact that context and conversation – both recent events and particular collaborations – shape agendas. Likewise, I suggest, critical attention needs to take account of the writer's disciplinary formation, as historian, linguist or, in my case, ethnographer. The eruption, in the last quarter of the twentieth century, of hostility against Professor Hew McLeod and other scholars trained in critical methods receives comment, as this affects the decisions made in designing and drafting scholarly introductions. It is also a part of Sikh history, and as such receives a place in my own Introduction. The article refers to some particularly sensitive aspects of Sikh history and to the balance of criteria in selecting visual images as well as in creating text. The 'world religions' paradigm of much religious studies and religious education comes in for scrutiny, as does the western matrix in which 'Sikhism' and other 'isms' have been named and conceptualized as discrete systems rather than unbounded traditions. A range of decisions that I made as author are revisited such, for example, as the emphasis on the Punjab and on the international spread of the Panth, and the selection of exemplars. The elusiveness of spirituality, the dearth of Sikh material available on ethical issues and the possibility of engaging as author with recent, 'postmodern' approaches are considered. Finally the writer's responsibility is outlined – a responsibility which comprises introducing diaspora Sikhs to their heritage as well as introducing the faith to outsiders. Introductions, it is argued, have a contribution to make to interfaith dialogue.

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- A Note on Transliteration and Pronunciation -- Introduction -- Section A: Hinduism -- Section B: Buddhism -- Section C: Sikhism -- Section D: Judaism -- Section E: Christianity -- Section F: Islam -- General Bibliography -- General Addresses and Web Sites -- Notes on the Contributors -- Index