Sikholars 2012 – Call for Papers

For the past two years, the Jakara Movement has created a forum for budding scholars and researchers, working on various projects Sikh, to come together, share, and challenge each one another.

Over this period, it has become an extremely popular venue for community members, activists, and researchers to come together to engage on relevant issues.  From Khalistan to Unix Coding, from sex-selective abortion to diasporic literature, from Nihangs in the court of Ranjit Singh to the historiography of Sikh studies, from Sikh sculpture and architecture to representations of masculinity in Punjabi films, from ecology of pre-Green Revolution Punjab to excerpts from a new book on Sikhs in Surrey to an amazing thabla-jazz infusion display, to even previews of newly-released movies with Sikh themes – there will be something that captivates and challenges you over the weekend.  Please see previous abstracts from conferences 2010 and 2011 for more details.

The “call for papers” for Sikholars 2012 has now begun.  From now until December 1, 2011 please send your resume/cv and abstract to info @ sikholars [dot] org.  The conference will be held over the President’s Day weekend from February 17-19, 2012 at CSU East Bay.  It is being sponsored by CSU East Bay’s Ethnic Studies Department, Sabherwal Chair of Sikh and Punjabi Studies, and the Jakara Movement.

Last year, 100+ community members came to participate and converse.  It was partially from these conversations that the spark to begin a Sikh feminist conference – SAFAR – was conceived.  We expect an even greater attendance this year with more amazing papers.  Be part of the conversation and mark your calendars for this unique experience.

A 2011 Sikholarly Success

My apologies for a post that is far overdue.  So Sikholars 2011 came and went.  This year was an even greater success than last year with attendance of over 110+ and a growing number of presenters.  This year’s Sikholars 2011 class – Kamal Arora, Amneet Singh Bali, Sonia Dhami, Amandeep Kaur Dhillon, Neelamjit Singh Dhillon, Sandeep Singh Dhillon, Roopan Kaur Gill, Gurbachan Singh Jandu, Tarnjit Kaur Johal, Varinder Singh Johal, Simran Kaur, Sujot Kaur, Tavleen Kaur, Semran Kaur Mann, Ranjanpreet Kaur Nagra, Neilinder Singh Ranu, Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra, and Elizabeth Weigler – was our best yet and we look forward to incoming Sikholars classes.

The event was made possible by the CSU East Bay Ethnic Studies Department, the Sabharwal Sikh and Punjabi Studies Chair, the CSU East Bay Sikh Students Association, the Jakara Movement, and the scores of volunteers.

Below the fold, as promised are uploaded copies of some of the papers (we did not receive permission from all the Sikholars to upload their papers due to ongoing research, publication in academic journals, etc.).  These papers will be made available for one month as per our goal of greater democratization of research.

We look forward to Sikholars 2012

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Sikholars 2011 Agenda

Read the fine print and register now!

Sikholars 2011 Agenda

Sikholars 2011 Announced

The candidates have submitted.  The abstracts are published and we are welcoming all to join us in this unique conference experience.  Sikholars 2011 is the first conference aimed at Sikh researchers, professionals, and activists.  Geared towards those 25+, we hope you join us in the Bay Area from February 25-27, 2011.  Registration is limited to the first 100 registrants.  Register now and see you in Hayward!

Sikholars 2011 Abstracts

Sikholars Papers are Now Available!

The young researchers that presented at last week’s Sikholars conference have made their papers available. Until March 15, 2010 they will be available at this link.

If you read the papers, we would love to hear your comments.

Sikholars Conference a HUGE SUCCESS!

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

This past weekend was the first annual Sikholars: Sikh Graduate Student Conference. From Toronto and Vancouver, from New York and Boston, some leading young researchers converged upon Stanford University.

Beginning with the topic of the scholar in Sikhi, Harinder Singh creatively discussed the views of scholarship emanating from Gurbani and examples of community intellectuals from Bhai Gurdas to the recently departed Harinder Singh Mehboob.

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 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 by Punjabi Sikh immigrants.

The afternoon session, “Beyond Borders,” saw discussions beyond any national territory. Ajeet Singh of Columbia University provided a critique of the historiography of Punjab/Sikh studies, from the 1960s to the post-structuralist approaches popular among some today. Arvinder Kang of the University of Mississippi discussed his role and the ongoing debates in the promotion of Gurmukhi and Punjabi on the internet today. Mandeep Kaur, University of Texas Austin, gave a literature review of medical research related to the 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.

Over 80 community members from throughout California attended the event. Far exceeding the organizer’s expectations, it was standing-room only in this first event of its type – a Sikh graduate conference. Attendees and participants both left excited and exuberant. 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.

Sikholars Schedule

The Sikholars: Sikh Graduate Student Conference is OPEN to the general public. All members of the public are cordially welcome and invited to attend the conference.

The conference will be held at the Cypress Lounge in the Tressider Union on the Stanford University Campus. Directions can be found here.

The schedule for SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20th, 2010 is as follows:

9:00-10:00am – Welcome and Introductions
10:00-12:00pm – Beneath the Surface (Erik Resly, Iqbal Kaur Gill, Kamal Kaur Arora) Resp: Puneet Kaur
12:00-12:45pm – Lunch
12:45-2:45pm – Locality: Past and Present (Mette Bach, Bandana Kaur, Preet Kaur) Resp: Naindeep Singh
2:45-3:00pm – Break
3:00-5:30pm – Beyond Borders (Ajeet Matharu, Harjant Gill, Arvinder Kang, Mandeep Kaur) Resp: Rahuldeep Singh
5:30-5:55pm Open Discussion
5:55-6pm – Closing Comments
6pm – Stanford SSA Event

Sikholars: Sikh Graduate Student Conference Participants Announced

The following papers have been selected and will be presented at the first annual conference. The conference is being hosted by the Jakara Movement and the Sikh Spirit Foundation.

• Ajeet Singh Matharu, Columbia University, History, N/A
• Arvinder Singh Kang and Amanpreet Singh Brar, University of Mississippi, Computer Science, Extending Gurmukhi Script into Twenty-first Century & Beyond
• Bandana Kaur, Yale University, Environmental Management, Reclaiming Natural Histories: Biodiversity and Landscape in Pre-Green Revolution Punjab
• Erik Resly, Harvard Divinity School, Divinity, (Re)figuring the Sikh: Theodicy, Discipleship and Narrative in Ethical Perspective
• Harjant Gill, American University, Anthroplogy, From Putt Jattan De to Munde UK De: The Transformation of Masculinities in Punjabi Cinema
• Iqbal Kaur Gill, University of British Columbia, Counseling Psychology, First Generation Canadian Punjabi Sikh Parents Beliefs about Adolescent Suicide and Suicide Related Behaviours
• Kamal Arora, York University, Social Anthropology, The Politics of Pain: Gender, Mourning and the Punjab Crisis
• Mandeep Kaur, University of Texas (Austin), Nursing, The Sikh Patient: A Review of the Nursing Literature
• Mette Bach, University of British Columbia, Creative Writing, The Changing Faces of Suburbia
• Preet Kaur Virdi, York University, Socio-Legal Studies, Silence: Resistance or Acquiescence? Sikh women’s perspectives on Canadian law

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