Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age

Giorgio Shani is Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at the International Christian University, Japan. He is co-editor of Protecting Human Security in a Post 9/11 World (2007), and has published widely in leading academic journals including International Studies Review, The Cambridge Review of International Affairs, South Asia Research and Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism.

• 1. Introduction: Rethinking Sikh Nationalism in a Global Age 2. From Panth to Qaum: The Construction of a Sikh ‘National’ Identity in Colonial India 3. The Territorialization of the Qaum: Sikh ‘National’: Identity in Independent India 4. From Khalistan to Punjabiat: Globalization, Hindutva and the Decline of Sikh Militancy 5. ‘The Territorialization of Memory’: Sikh Nationalism in the ‘Diaspora’ 6. The Politics of Recognition: From a Sikh ‘National’ to a Sikh ‘Diasporic’ Identity in a Post 9/11 World? 7. Beyond Khalistan? The Sikh Diaspora, Globalisation and International Relations. Conclusion

'The author deserves applause for creating a readable narrative that effectively incorporates his understanding of Sikh history and demonstrates his close acquaintance with the theoretical literature centered upon themes ranging from identity formation to nationalism, diaspora studies, and globalization.' - Gurinder Singh Mann, University of California, Santa Barbara'This book provides a rich synthesis of the existing literature on the subject, with a critical review of the arguments of the leading scholars in the field. The argument builds gradually and cogently, weaving the story from Punjab to the diaspora. The author does well to incorporate such diverse literature and argumentation, as well as providing us with new data on how the Sikhs in the diaspora are imagining Sikh identity in a global age. There is interesting use of internet groups that have been at the forefront of some of the debates that dominate the contemporary discourses about Sikh identity' - Gurharpal Singh, University of Birmingham, Nations Review'This is an important book, which discerns key shifts in the ways in which Sikh political life has taken shape in the last fifty years, and how the Sikh community has arrived at a particular moment of promise. The book’s argument for a fundamental rethinking of assumptions regarding nationalist movements in the present in relation to the larger international system is both intellectually and pragmatically important.' - Anne Murphy, Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 69, No.2 Feb 2010