Sikh Men Research Articles

Multicultural exceptionalism: Race and gender in the Sikh diaspora of the transnational Pacific Northwest

ABSTRACT Multiculturalism discourse simultaneously produces, celebrates, and erases differences. This paper explores racial violence within the Sikh diaspora of the transnational Pacific Northwest (PNW) to understand how multicultural discourse has obfuscated the criminalization, incarceration, and surveillance of the Sikh diaspora. I draw from an analysis of Deepa Mehta's film Beeba Boys as well as ethnographic fieldwork to analyze the tropes of the ‘Surrey Jack' and the ‘Kent Boy,' two pervasive stereotypes attached to young Punjabi men in the PNW. I show that these caricatured masculinities reveal the limits of racial inclusion by reproducing stereotypes that characterize Punjabi Sikh men as ‘dangerous.’

Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Knowledge among Followers of Various Religions in India

Abstract Introduction: Effective educational interventions to knowledge, attitude, and prevention of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) may limit the spread of the disease. However, the relevance of HIV knowledge to followers of religions is unknown. We assessed the 2015–2016 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from India to investigate the levels of knowledge of HIV/AIDS among Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and Buddhists in relation to standard sociodemographic variables in India. Methods: We used the individual and household level data from the internationally and temporally harmonized cross-sectional DHS. These data were representative of the national population and were collected from January 2015 to December 2016. Results: The age range of the population was 15–54 years (n = 224,531). We found the highest level of knowledge of HIV/AIDS among Sikh men (than the followers of other religions (80.4%–92.7%). Conversely, Muslims and Hindus were least knowledgeable of HIV/AIDS (80.4% and 81.2%). Younger participants (82.5%), residents of urban areas (90.6%), more educated (98.6%), never married (84.9%), wealthier (95.5%), and having more access to mass media (90.4%–96.7%) were more aware of HIV/AIDS-related knowledge. Among various religions, Sikhs were more educated (16.1% with higher education), wealthier (59.5% in the top quintile), with higher exposure to communication means than Muslims, Hindus, and Christians. Conclusion: We report that Sikh men are most knowledgeable of HIV compared to Sikh women and followers of other religions. Our findings may help formulate public health strategies targeting various religious groups to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS.

The Lived Experience of Racism in the Sikh Community.

The Sikh community may be more visible and vulnerable to racism than other religious groups, and previous research has documented the racism targeted at Sikh men and women in the United States. Relatively few studies have, however, addressed the racism experienced by Sikh communities in other countries, where racism may be less closely connected to the events of 9/11. The present study investigates the lived experience of racism in Sikh adults living in the United Kingdom. Six participants (5 male, 1 female) aged 19 to 30 years (M = 24.17, SD = 3.98) were recruited via advertisements placed on social media. Both Amritdhari Sikhs (n = 4) who had undertaken the Amrit Sanskar initiation ceremony or commitment and Sahajdhari Sikhs (n = 2) who had not undertaken the initiation participated. Semi-structured interviews were conducted (totaling 372 minutes of interview data), covering a range of subjects including personal experiences of racism and subsequent responses to the racist abuse. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the interview transcripts identified five superordinate themes. These were (1) Appearance and Visibility; (2) Inevitability and Normalization; (3) Coping and Conformity (Religion as Support, Fitting In, Internalization); (4) Education and Understanding; and (5) Bystander Behavior (Experiences of Intervention, Religious Duty to Intervene, Consequences of Intervention). Findings highlight the extent to which racism occurs and the increased vulnerability of the Sikh community (e.g., appearance being the focus of racist abuse). Findings also highlight the importance of religion as a source of support and cultural pride and the significance of education and bystander behavior. Future research should further investigate these themes and introduce interventions to support the safety and well-being of members of the Sikh community experiencing racist abuse.

Turbans vs. Helmets: A Systematic Narrative Review of the Literature on Head Injuries and Impact Loci of Cranial Trauma in Several Recreational Outdoor Sports.

When in public, faith-based mandates require practising Sikh men to wear a turban which may not be covered by hats or caps. This makes it impossible for practising Sikhs to wear helmets and other protective headwear, mandatory in many countries and facilities for engagement in recreational pursuits (e.g., skiing) and on adventure outdoor recreation camps mandatorily run for school groups. The result is often social exclusion and ostracisation in the case of school children. Despite studies into the efficacy of protective helmets in some recreational outdoor activity settings, virtually nothing is known about the protective potential of turbans. This paper systematically reviews the extant literature on head injuries in several recreational outdoor activities and sports sectors (aerial, water, winter, wheeled and animal-based sports) and finds that the extant literature is of limited value when trying to understand the spatial distribution of trauma on the cranial surface. As the data do not permit to make inferences on the protective potential of turbans, future systematic, evidence-based epidemiological studies derived from hospital admissions and forensic examinations are required. Failure to do so perpetuates social exclusion and discrimination of religious grounds without an evidentiary basis for defensible public health measures.

Do Turbans Provide Protection Against Cranial Trauma in Two-Wheeler Accidents? A Review of the Indian Medical Literature

The wearing of turbans or head scarves is mandatory for practising Sikh men and women. Religious mandatesstipulate that nothing may be placed on top of the turban (scarf), thus making it impossible for practicing Sikhs towear protective motorcycle helmets. To honour the freedom of religious expression, many jurisdictions, includingIndia, have exempted Sikhs from mandatory helmet laws. Despite studies into the efficacy of protective helmetswhile riding ‘two-wheelers,’ little is known about the protective potential of turbans. This paper represents a reviewof Indian literature (277 studies) related to head injuries sustained in road traffic accidents involving two-wheelers.This review shows that the extant literature is of limited value when trying to understand the extent of the protectivepotential of turbans and that systematic, evidence-based epidemiological studies derived from hospital admissionsand forensic examinations are required.

Transnational hair (and turban): Sikh masculinity, embodied practices, and politics of representation in an era of global travel

This article explores what it means to be a Punjabi Sikh man in an era of transnational migration. I look at how Sikh men from India access global migrant flows and negotiate the formal and informal sets of requirements for moving across national boundaries. Upon learning that different travel itineraries necessitate different embodied practices, what kinds of transformations do migrant men undergo? In anticipation of transnational travel, Sikh migrants often cut their hair. Yet, many continue wearing their turbans from time to time, especially when returning to their familial homes in rural Punjab. Detached from its traditional association with Kesh (unshorn hair), the turban as mobilized by Sikh migrant men no longer simply represents an emblem of Sikh identity. Rather it operates as a flexible symbol of cultural citizenship and gendered belonging, an integral part of the process by which these migrants reincorporate themselves into the landscape of their homeland.

The Sikh Gender Construction and Use of Agency in Spain: Negotiations and Identity (Re)Constructions in the Diaspora

For decades, Sikhs have made the choice to migrate to the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of America (USA), or Canada, as these countries are held in high esteem by Sikh communities and appear to afford prestige in socio-cultural terms to those who settle in them. However, changes in border policies (among other considerations such as the greater difficulty of establishing themselves in other countries, the opening of borders by regularization processes in Spain, commercial business purposes, or political reasons) have compelled Sikh migrants to diversify their destinations, which now include many European countries, Spain among them. The first generation of Sikhs arrived in Spain as part of this search for new migratory routes, and there are now sizable Sikh communities settled in different parts of this country. All migrants need to follow a process of adaptation to their new living environment. Moreover, a novel living context may offer new possibilities for migrants to (re)negotiate old identities and create new ones, both at individual and collective levels. This article will explore a case study of a Sikh community in Barcelona to reflect on the forms in which Sikh men and women perceive, question, and manage their identity and their lives in this new migratory context in Spain. The present paper argues that adaptation to the new place implies identity negotiations that include the redefinition of gender roles, changes in the management of body and appearance, and, most particularly, the emergence of new forms of agency among young Sikh women. In addition, we argue that new forms of female agency are made possible not only by the opportunities offered by the new context, but also emerge as a reaction against the many pressures experienced by the young women and exerted by their male counterparts in Sikh communities, as the latter push against the loss of traditional values.

“I Get Peace:” Gender and Religious Life in a Delhi Gurdwara

In October and November of 1984, after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards, approximately 3500 Sikh men were killed in Delhi, India. Many of the survivors—Sikh widows and their kin—were relocated thereafter to the “Widow Colony”, also known as Tilak Vihar, within the boundary of Tilak Nagar in West Delhi, as a means of rehabilitation and compensation. Within this colony lies the Shaheedganj Gurdwara, frequented by widows and their families. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, I explore the intersections between violence, widowhood, and gendered religious practice in this place of worship. Memories of violence and experiences of widowhood inform and intersect with embodied religious practices in this place. I argue that the gurdwara is primarily a female place; although male-administered, it is a place that, through women’s practices, becomes a gendered counterpublic, allowing women a place to socialize and heal in an area where there is little public space for women to gather. The gurdwara has been re-appropriated away from formal religious practice by these widows, functioning as a place that enables the subversive exchange of local knowledges and viewpoints and a repository of shared experiences that reifies and reclaims gendered loss.

The relationship of implicit bias to perceptions of teaching ability: examining good looks, race, age, and gender

Education leaders consistently make quick decisions that have substantial impacts on the students and educators, with whom they work, often based on ambiguous and incomplete information. Thus, in this fast-paced, imperfect decision-making environment, implicit, unconscious biases can influence their decisions. To become better decision-makers, education leaders must learn to identify their implicit biases and then minimize their negative influences. In this study of 1,751 U.S. participants, we examine perceptions of teaching ability based solely on a person’s appearance and how this initial perception of teaching ability relates to the person’s attractiveness rating, as well as race, age, gender, and some identifiable markers of religious devotion. Using linear regression and ANCOVA to analyze participant ratings of photographs of potential teachers, we found attractiveness to have a moderate to strong influence on perceived teaching ability. By group, there were only small differences in perceived teaching ability by race, gender, and age, with the exception of Sikh men wearing turbans and Muslim women wearing hijabs, where both groups had the lowest ability ratings. However, for individual photographs, across combinations of race, religion, age, and gender, ratings generally favored female over male teachers and disfavored Sikh men in turbans and Muslim women in hijabs.

Minority men's engagement with health promotion (Boyz2men): an exploratory cross-sectional study

BackgroundEthnic health disparities continue to widen in the UK. For example, UK black men have double the risk of prostate cancer compared with white men, and deprivation has a greater negative impact on men's health outcomes than on women's. Few culturally tailored health programmes have engaged minority men in the UK. Boyz2men (B2M) aimed to obtain a snapshot of self-reported health of ethnic minority boys and men and explore the feasibility and acceptability of health intervention activities among this population. MethodsB2M was cross-sectional, mixed-methods study, which was conducted in Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK, in 2017–18. All male individuals aged 16 years or older who had responded to community flyers, word-of-mouth invitations, social media, and other media, and who self-defined as being from a minority ethnic group, were included in the study. Self-reported questionnaire data (sociodemographic factors; GP attendance, health-related behaviours; and physical and mental conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases and depression) were supplemented by two focus groups. 26 healthy-eating, physical activity, and health empowerment sessions were planned. Six Black or Asian community health champions (CHCs) delivered and led evaluation of the sessions. Leeds Beckett University approved the study (ref:44443/51896) and all participants gave written informed consent. FindingsWe included 126 participants, of whom 42 were Black African, 38 were Black Caribbean, 40 were South Asian, and six were North African. Mean age of participants was 47 years (SD 17); 82 (65%) of the sample lived in neighbourhoods with the highest levels of deprivation, and 54 (43%) of the 126 men were unemployed. Black Caribbeans (17 [46%] of 37 participants, data were missing for one participant) and North Africans (four [67%] of six participants) were more likely to smoke than other groups (6–31%; p=0·006); Sikh men were more likely to drink alcohol (12 [71%] of 17 participants) than other groups (17–61%; p=0·001). Lunch was often skipped, and a third of the total sample exercised regularly. Two or more physical conditions were reported by 45 (36%) and at least one mental health problem by 15 (12%). Narratives around cutting down on smoking, concern about alcohol consumption, and time or pain as barriers to exercise emerged from the focus groups. Half of the planned sessions were not delivered because of issues such as difficulty securing venues. However, due to popularity, 12 further exercise sessions were provided in addition to the six planned, achieving 25 sessions in total. Barbershops and places of worship had potential for engaging men, but activities were not practical in all venues, and study personnel experienced challenges in building trust when working cross-culturally with respect to ethnicity or religion. InterpretationPeer-led health education in social spaces shows promise for health promotion among ethnic minority boys and men. Further surveys and intervention might contribute to policy and practice that responds to intersections between gender, ethnicity, and deprivation. FundingNHS Leeds North CCG Third Sector Health Grants 3.

Mistaken Identities: The Media and Parental Ethno-Religious Socialization in a Midwestern Sikh Community

Strong anti-Islamic sentiments increased dramatically after the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States, leading to an uptick in prejudice and the perpetration of hate crimes targeting Muslims. Sikh men and boys, often mistaken for Muslims, suffered as collateral damage. The overall health of both communities has been adversely affected by these experiences. Faced with such realities, communities and parents often adopt adaptive behaviors to foster healthy development in their children. In this paper, drawing on interviews with 23 Sikh parents from 12 families, we examine Sikh parents’ ethno-religious socialization of their children. The confluence of media stereotyping and mistaken identities has shaped Sikh parents’ beliefs regarding their children’s retention/relinquishment of outward identity markers. Sikh parents, in general, are concerned about the safety of their boys, due to the distinctive appearance of their religious markers, such as the turban. They are engaged in a constant struggle to ensure that their children are not identified as Muslims and to protect them from potential harm. In most of the families in our study, boys were raised to give up wearing the indicators of their ethno-religious group. In addition, many parents took responsibility for educating the wider community about their ethno-religious practices through direct communication, participation in cultural events, and support of other ethno-religious minorities. Policy implications are discussed.

Sikh Youth Coming of Age: Reflections on the Decision to Tie a Turban

In Sikhism, the turban is a sign of adherence to faith and fighting for justice; for Sikh men, it can also be considered essential to manhood (Chanda & Ford, ). The authors provide an introduction to Sikhism and discuss the turban's importance to Sikhs. Next, they present a self‐reflective case of one individual's experience of the decision to tie a turban and discussion of that case. Finally, the authors discuss implications for counselors.

Indian Masculinity: An Important Intervention in Gender and Masculinity Studies

Indian Masculinity:An Important Intervention in Gender and Masculinity Studies Sanghita Sen Harjant Gill, dir. Indian Masculinity Series. Roots of Love. Produced and distributed by Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT). New Delhi, India. Made in partnership with Doordarshan, Prasar Bharati, and Tilotama Productions, 2011. 26 min. In English, Hindi, and Punjabi with English subtitles. http://www.tilotamaproductions.com/Tilotama_Productions/ROOTS_OF_LOVE.html. Harjant Gill, dir. Indian Masculinity Series. Mardistan (Macholand): Reflections on Indian Manhood. Produced and distributed by Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT). New Delhi, India. Made in partnership with Doordarshan, Prasar Bharati, and Tilotama Productions, 2014. 28 min. In Hindi and Punjabi with English subtitles. http://www.tilotamaproductions.com/Tilotama_Productions/MARDISTAN_%28MACHOLAND%29.html. Harjant Gill, dir. Indian Masculinity Series. Sent Away Boys. Produced and distributed by Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT). New Delhi, India. Made in partnership with Doordarshan, Prasar Bharati, and Tilotama Productions, 2016. 43 min. In English, Hindi, and Punjabi with English subtitles. http://www.tilotamaproductions.com/Tilotama_Productions/SENT_AWAY_BOYS.html. Introduction Harjant Gill's insightful documentary trilogy Indian Masculinities explores the complex and intricate dynamics of the construction and reception of the projected image of Indian men and their social duties, responsibilities, and privileges in context of the Indian state of Punjab. The first film, Roots of Love (2011), deals with the history of Sikh identity formation in India—its evolution, significance in Punjabi society, and visible cultural markers of identity—as well as challenges posed by globalization. The second film, Mardistan (Macholand): Reflections on Indian Manhood (2014), deals with the construction of masculinity and its impact on men as well as women; gender relations in Indian society; and gender-based violence in India. The third film, Sent Away Boys (2016), investigates the issue of male labor migration and its impact on the society with particular reference to Punjab. The trilogy is made using a predominantly reflexive mode combined with the observational mode of documentary. The absence of the author's direct intervention through voice-over narration as in the classical documentary makes the trilogy appear less authoritative and open-ended in the sense that it allows for the audience to derive their own conclusions about the issues represented in the films. The presence of an expert's voice in each film to analyze and comment on the central theme increases provisions for critical engagement, academic credibility, and endorsement from an external perspective. For example, Swarn Singh Kahlon, a Sikh himself and the expert voice in Roots of Love, has been researching the Sikh Diaspora and migration history across the globe since 1970s.2 Nivedita Menon, the expert's voice in Mardistan/Macholand, is a feminist scholar, activist, and professor of political thoughts at Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. The third film of the trilogy, Sent Away Boys, has Radhika Chopra as the expert, who teaches at the Department of Sociology at University of Delhi and works on ethnography, Indian masculinity, sexuality, gender violence, [End Page 1106] and militancy movements among other things. The experts' interventions play the same role in the three films as direct quotes in printed pieces of research, presented in support of the argument. The argument and narrative of each film unfold through a series of interviews with people from a variety of backgrounds interspersed with comments from experts. This helps the audience get an extensive idea not only about the cultural identity of Sikh men in India, but also the position of women, complex gender relations, and the issue of mass migration and its impact on Indian society. Gill's trilogy is an important addition to gender studies in the sense that it portrays the formation of gendered identity in the aggressively male-dominated Indian society marked by structural misogyny. All three films explore the construction of gendered identity in a society with assumptions of heterosexual normativity that assign very strict gender roles to individuals. Indian masculinity imagined in strict conformity with rigid patriarchal norms has an affective implication for men and women alike, making the films useful for Indian feminist studies as they throw light on the nature of Indian masculinity with direct effects on women and other gendered subjectivities. Though contextualized with specific references to Punjab and Haryana, the two provinces...

Desis Divided: The Political Lives of South Asian Americans by Sangay K. Mishra

Reviewed by: Desis Divided: The Political Lives of South Asian Americans by Sangay K. Mishra Nalini Iyer DESIS DIVIDED: The Political Lives of South Asian Americans. By Sangay K. Mishra. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 2016. Sangay Mishra's book breaks new ground in South Asian American studies because he moves beyond the work of earlier scholars such as Vijay Mishra, Kamala Visweswaran, Monisha Das Gupta who had critiqued the model minority discourse used to frame the experiences of South Asian Americans. Mishra builds on this earlier work but provides a systematic analysis of the divergences and schisms within the ethnic group to study how this immigrant community has mobilized politically in recent years and in particular post 9/11. Based on interviews with South Asians in New York city and Los Angeles as well as analysis of national data from the 2000–2001 Pilot Study of the National Asian American Political Survey and the 2008 National Asian American Survey, Mishra looks at the patterns of political participation amongst South Asians both within the US and transnationally. The book begins with a socio-political history of South Asians in the U.S. which is familiar territory for those working in the field but necessary to introduce the book's overall project. He continues with an analysis of theories of ethno-racial mobilization and their relevance to the study of South Asian Americans. He then proceeds to explore post 9/11 racial targeting of South Asians and how that shapes political mobilization. The book continues with an examination of dominant modes of political mobilization amongst South Asians and concludes with two chapters that examine the community's transnational political engagement and how diasporic nationalism influences the members' engagement with U.S. politics. This study is timely and conceptualized well. As an economically powerful and rapidly growing community, South Asian Americans are increasingly active in politics at the local, regional, and national levels. However, Mishra's major intervention is that the South Asian American community is not a monolith and that national origin, religion, caste, and class are important factors that complicate how we understand the community. This approach of considering vectors of identity within the group is necessary in the evolution of South Asian American studies and has a significant methodological impact on the field. There are a couple of aspects of this study that could have been nuanced. The first is the question of gender. Although Mishra does devote about a dozen pages to social justice politics in chapter four and addresses how organizations like Sakhi and Manavi among [End Page 117] others that did ground breaking work on domestic violence prevention and advocacy and provided an avenue for political mobilization, the issues of gender, sexuality, and working class issues are lumped into this section and the analysis feels perfunctory. Is gender not a major factor if turbaned Sikh men and hijabi women were targets of racial violence post 9/11? It is not clear what percentage of respondents to the interviews were women? The discussion of South Asian racialization needs to be an intersectional one that accounts for gender and sexuality in the formation of race. The second issue is that of national origins. Mishra admits in his introduction that despite his best attempts, the study is dominated by Indian American issues. He justifies this because Indian Americans are numerically the largest amongst South Asians and also because South Asian American studies as a field has not produced enough scholarship on Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and other smaller South Asian communities. Both these reasons are real and important, but this Indo-centrism skews the argument. In particular, much of the chapter on diasporic nationalism is Indo-centric. Had Mishra engaged in a discussion of a smaller South Asian community such as the Sri Lankan American community and their diasporic nationalism, a more nuanced picture would have emerged. Sri Lankan Tamils who escaped a decades-long civil war have had an active and different form of diasporic nationalism during and after the civil war. Does the different post-independence political history of India and Sri Lanka impact diasporic nationalism differently? These critiques of the question of gender and Indo-centrism do not...

Long-term conditions, self-management and systems of support: an exploration of health beliefs and practices within the Sikh community, Birmingham, UK

ABSTRACTObjective. The global prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease, continues to rise. Internationally, people of South Asian origin (i.e. by birth or heritage) are much more likely to develop and live with NCDs compared to the general population. The South Asian diaspora population is highly heterogeneous, varying by socioeconomic status, migration history, religion and ethnicity. This article reports the findings of a study to explore the types of support accessed by Punjabi Sikhs living in Birmingham and the Black Country, UK, who were living with NCDs.Design. The study sought to develop a greater understanding of past experiences of accessing support and the importance of relationships in the mobilisation of resources for self-management. It was nested within a larger programme of research which explored attitudes to prevention of chronic diseases in local communities in the region. Seventeen Punjabi Sikh men and women were recruited through purposive sampling. Narrative interviews were conducted and analysed by the research team. Sociological theories on systems of support and social relations were consulted to inform the interpretation of data.Results. The study findings suggest that participants interpreted chronic disease self-management in relation to four primary systems of support: health services for disease management; multiple sources of care, including traditional Indian medicines and the Internet, for symptom management; community groups for lifestyle management; and the family for emotional and physical care. Within these systems of support, participants identified barriers and facilitators to the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle. We focus on intra-group diversity; exploring the intersection of views and experiences by age, gender, generation and caste.Conclusion. The findings have implications for the design and delivery of primary care and community services which support the prevention and management of NCDs in an increasingly diverse population.

The Association of Religious Affiliation and Body Mass Index (BMI): An Analysis from the Health Survey for England.

Obesity and obesity-related morbidity and mortality are an ongoing concern in developed countries. Religion is associated with reduced premature mortality and morbidity. However, the association between religion and obesity is unclear and unexplored in the general English population. This cross-sectional study uses Health Survey for England 2012 data to investigate the association of religious affiliation and BMI. A representative sample of 7,414 adults (16 years or older) was included. Waist-to-hip ratio was measured in a smaller sample and was explored as a secondary outcome. Interviews were administered, questionnaires self-completed, and height and weight measured. Sequential linear regression models were used to adjust for health behaviours. Religious affiliation was associated with a 0.91 kg/m(2) higher BMI. Some of this was explained demographically, but it was not accounted for by smoking status, alcohol consumption or physical activity level. Evidence of this association was strongest among those affiliated to a Christian religion. A significantly higher WHR was also seen in Christian and Sikh men. English prospective studies measuring intrinsic religiosity and dietary energy are needed. Religious communities may need greater healthy weight promotion or benefit from tailored interventions built on their beliefs.

‘So people know I'm a Sikh’: Narratives of Sikh masculinities in contemporary Britain

This article examines British-born Sikh men's identification to Sikhism. In particular, it focuses on the appropriation and use of Sikh symbols amongst men who define themselves as Sikh. This article suggests that whilst there are multiple ways of ‘being’ a Sikh man in contemporary post-colonial Britain, and marking belonging to the Sikh faith, there is also a collectively understood idea of what an ‘ideal’ Sikh man should be. Drawing upon Connell and Messerschmidt's discussion of locally specific hegemonic masculinities (2005. “Hegemonic Masculinity: Rethinking the Concept.” Gender and Society 19 (6): 829–859), it is suggested that an ideal Sikh masculine identity is partly informed by a Khalsa discourse, which informs a particular performance of Sikh male identity, whilst also encouraging the surveillance of young men's activities both by themselves and by others. These Sikh masculinities are complex and multiple, rotating to reaffirm, challenge and redefine contextualised notions of hegemonic masculinity within the Sikh diaspora in post-colonial Britain. Such localised Sikh masculinities may both assert male privilege and reap patriarchal dividends (Connell, W. 1995. Masculinities. Cambridge: Polity Press), resulting in particular British Sikh hegemonic masculinities which seek to shape the performance of masculinity, yet in another context these very same performances of masculinity may also signify a more marginalised masculinity vis-à-vis other dominant hegemonic forms.

WARRIORS OF GOJA: PAINS AND PLEASURES OF THE SIKH (MALE) BODY

Taking a widely received, winning entry in a televised Indian talent show entitled the Warriors of Goja as its point of departure, my paper is organized around discussions of the body, pain, and pleasure. I aim to raise questions around the subject/objectification of the Sikh male body and examine points of continuity from the colonial era typification of Sikh men as a martial race to contemporary renderings of Sikh men as hyper-macho. I examine the centrality of pain to a kind of Sikh hetero-masculinity that is being constituted on the entertainment stage and circulated transnationally. Alongside, I investigate how machismo and masochistic martyrdom come to evoke Sikh masculinity through mass cultural images. I put forth a reading of the mutilated Sikh male body as an image commodity that accretes value in its circulation. I also explore, whether, and to what extent, the viral Warriors of Goja can be situated within a broader transnational visual economy of maimed Sikh male bodies, namely of martyr figures.

Managing Strangerhood: Young Sikh Men's Strategies

This paper offers a critique of accounts of ‘the stranger’ that lack empirical grounding and are fetishising, suspicious, and anxious. Instead, I propose that we should engage with strangers and move towards more relational, emotional, and embodied accounts of the place of the stranger in contemporary society. In order to illustrate this argument, I draw upon qualitative research with young Sikh men growing up in urban Scotland to explore the complex strategies enacted by these young men in responding to being placed in the position of the stranger. The strategies employed by the young men include educating others, managing multicultural intimacies, affiliating with the Scottish nation, and travelling far to socialise with friends. Overall, this paper offers a relational, embodied, and emotional set of insights into young Sikh men's strategies for managing being cast as strangers and demonstrates the agency and creativity of the young men in doing so.

Reflections on the Experiences of Turbaned Sikh Men in the Aftermath of 9/11

The murder of Trayvon Martin is a painful reminder of the violence perpetuated towards subjugated groups who are often deemed suspicious because of the color of their skin and/or clothing. The association of the hoodie and Black skin with being a member of a violent group is an association that is familiar for Sikh men. Many today are unaware of how Sikh men have been vilified because of their skin color and turbans. The terrorist attacks, which occurred on September 11, 2001, had a significant impact on turbaned Sikh men living in North America. These men have been targeted since then because of their shared visual image with the perpetrators of 9/11. This brief reflection discusses the experiences of discrimination these men have experienced, gives examples of psychological and relational injuries related to 9/11, and offers personal and professional lessons learned through conversations with turbaned Sikh men on their experiences.