Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed

Arvind-Pal S. Mandair is Professor in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan, USA. He holds the Tara Singh, Balwant Kaur Chattha, Gurbax Singh and Kirpal Kaur Brar Professorship in Sikh Studies. He is a founding editor of the journal Sikh Formations: Religion, Culture and Theory. Details about his work can be found at https://arvindpalmandair.com/

Sikhism's short but relatively eventful history provides a fascinating insight into the working of misunderstood and seemingly contradictory themes such as politics and religion, violence and mysticism, culture and spirituality, orality and textuality, public sphere versus private sphere, tradition and modernity. This book presents students with a careful analysis of these complex themes as they have manifested themselves in the historical evolution of the Sikh traditions and the encounter of Sikhs with modernity and the West, in the philosophical teachings of its founders and their interpretation by Sikh exegetes, and in Sikh ethical and intellectual responses to contemporary issues in an increasingly secular and pluralistic world. Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed serves as an ideal guide to Sikhism, and also for students of Asian studies, Sociology of Religion and World Religions.

Written by a top scholar, the book contains a glossary of Punjabi terms.

Acknowledgements Introduction Part I: Evolution of the Sikh Tradition 1. Guru Nanak and His Early Successors 2. Martyrdom and Militancy: Rise of the Khalsa 3. Modernity and Colonialism Part II: Teachings and Practices 4. Way of Life 5. Sikh Philosophy Part III: Pluralism & its Challenges 6. Sikh Ethics 7. Sikhs and the Public Sphere Glossary of Punjabi Terms Notes Index