Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed / Edition 1

by Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441102317
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/08/2013
Series:	Guides for the Perplexed
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair is an Associate Professor and holder of the S.B.S.C. Endowed Chair in Sikh Studies at the University of Michigan, USA. His earlier books include: Religion and the Specter of the West: Sikhism, India, Postcoloniality and the Politics of Translation (2009), Teachings of the Sikh Gurus (with Christopher Shackle, 2005), Secularism and Religion-Making (2009). He is a founding editor of the journal Sikh Formations: Religion, Culture and Theory.

Table of Contents

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