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Cheuk, Ka Kin. / Thesis submitted in: November 2008. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [238]-252). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgement --- p.iii / List of Figures --- p.vii / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Researches on South Asians in Hong Kong Studies --- p.1 / Indian Overseas and Transnational Network --- p.5 / The Sikhs in Local and Transnational Contexts --- p.10 / Methodology --- p.18 / Organization of the Thesis --- p.25 / Chapter 2. --- Who are the Sikhs? --- p.28 / The History of Sikhism: An Evolution of Sikh Descent --- p.28 / The Philosophical Doctrines and Its Contemporary Impact --- p.35 / Conclusion --- p.41 / Chapter 3. --- "Migration, Settlement, and Remigration" --- p.44 / Patterns of Sikh Migration to Hong Kong: An Overview --- p.44 / An Extensive Mobility of the Sikhs in Today´ةs Hong Kong --- p.54 / Conclusion --- p.77 / Chapter 4. --- Local Life (1): Communal Worship and Cultural Persistence --- p.80 / The Sikh Temple in Hong Kong: Fieldsite Specification --- p.81 / The Rhythm of Temple Activities --- p.87 / The Persistent Cultural Practices in the Sikh Temple --- p.97 / Conclusion --- p.106 / Chapter 5. --- Local Life (2): Temple and Social Relationships --- p.108 / Social Participations in the Sikh Temple --- p.109 / "Different Roles, Different Social Identities" --- p.116 / Forming Communities and Establishing Networks --- p.129 / Conclusion --- p.149 / Chapter 6. --- Individual Identity and Imposed Reality --- p.151 / Why Do You Wear a Turban? --- p.152 / Intermingling of Fervor and Ambivalence in the Sikh Identities --- p.161 / Interpersonal Relationships with the Hong Kong Chinese --- p.168 / Conclusion --- p.175 / Chapter 7. --- Transnational Connections --- p.178 / Rejuvenating the Joint Family Linkage --- p.180 / The Significance of the Joint Family in the Global Context --- p.197 / "Wedding, Land, and New Houses" --- p.210 / Conclusion --- p.220 / Chapter 8. --- Conclusion --- p.222 / How are they related? --- p.223 / Rethinking Transnational Anthropology and Multi-sited Ethnography --- p.228 / Afterthoughts on Studying the Sikhs in Hong Kong and Beyond --- p.231 / Appendix: Glossary --- p.233 / Bibliography --- p.237

This thesis recognizes the value of using a variety of perspectives to study the history of an ethnic minority group. The history of some groups is lacking in insider perspectives. I have attempted to add balance to the existing accounts by using an oral history approach to describe the experiences of the Sikhs living in British Columbia from 1920-1947. I am an insider, a Sikh whose grandfather was one of the original pioneers who came in the first wave of immigration in the 1904-1908 time period. These people are no longer with us, but some of their wives and children are still available to share their history with future generations. I interviewed and recorded 24 individual histories. From these I have formed a composite picture of the Sikh community in British Columbia from 1920-1947. Beginning with descriptions of social, political and cultural conditions in India and Canada at the time of arrival, we follow them through the important stages of their lives in their adopted land. They describe the journey over, settling in, adaptations, work, social life, the fight for rights, and the role of their temple and religion. We see the events and circumstances that eventually led to the Sikhs being able to call Canada their home. The many photographs, letters and documents give further insights into the lives of this distinctive group of Canadians. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

In recent times, religion has become a powerful force in giving legitimacy to terrorist actions. The present work considers this highly salient fact, as well as stresses the necessity to consider the historical and social contexts and group power resources in any meaningful analysis of violent protest movements. Quantitative rigor is combined with a sensitivity to context. Terrorism is operationalized by taking a time-based count of terrorist killings of innocent people. Regime acts of omission and commission are coded as time series interventions. The analysis also includes a continuous variable measuring the incidence of economic distress in Punjab. A case is also made for the superiority of Box- Jenkins time series techniques for the quantitative analysis of problems of this nature.

This dissertation examines the Sikh diaspora's role in the effort to carve a separate Sikh state--Khalistan--out of territory that presently constitutes the Indian Punjab. While many scholars note the involvement of overseas Sikhs in the Khalistan movement, the campaign for Sikh sovereignty has not been universally endorsed and a broad continuum of opinion exists within the diaspora regarding self-determination. Moreover, there have been various disputes regarding ideology and strategy even between pro-Khalistan factions that share the common goal of secession. Internecine conflict within the pro-Khalistan bloc has thus served to undermine its legitimacy within the larger diasporan Sikh community and in the international political arena. This raises the following inter-related questions that form the focus of this study: Why is the Khalistan coalition so weak, given its constituent members' consensus on the ultimate goal of secession? Why do pro-Khalistan groups that possess a common adversary (the Indian state) choose competition over cooperation given that the latter would be more expedient in realizing their political objectives? In addressing this, I draw upon the literature on exile politics and formulate a social movement type that I classify as a Separatist Diasporan Movement (SDM). I define an SDM as a coalition of political organizations comprising coethnics of migrant origin that: (1) sustains a strong attachment to their homeland, (2) maintains numerous networks among coethnics in other countries, and (3) seeks to create a separate homeland out of territory that forms part of an existing state because of real or imagined feelings of persecution. I further argue that because they lack institutionalized legitimacy and the instruments of state power, SDMs are intrinsically unstable entities whose authority is contested and re-contested from both within and without. In supporting my argument, I examine the rhetoric and political tactics employed by Khalistani groups in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States. Data was obtained through fieldwork in the three countries, a variety of primary sources, and pro-Khalistan websites. My findings indicate that the schisms that emerged within the Khalistan SDM result from this absence of a unanimously-recognized authority and the persistence of conflicting pre-coalition identities. / text

Texte remanié de: Ph. D.--Philosophy--University of York, 1979.

The crisis of unity in multiethnic societies may be indicative of strained relations among various ethnic groups. Economic competition by a minority arouses resentment and envy in the dominant group. When the political development lags behind social and economic development, ethnicity is introduced into politics. If the system fails to resolve issues through institutional arrangements violence may become a mode of communication among these groups and the minority may attempt to secede. The case of India provides an excellent example of particularistic associations. The Sikhs have played a significant role in the division of the subcontinent and the development of the economy, Tensions have resulted in violence and counter-violence by both minority and majority groups. India has failed to introduce institutional changes to fulfill the promises made by the secular constitution. The Hindu dominance and discrimination in case of Sikhs can not be denied. While the issues still remain, India faces the risk of secessionist movements not only by Sikhs but also by other regions where minorities feel having been discriminated.

This thesis investigates the relation of the Sikhs to the Indian rebellion of 1857. References to the Sikhs have invariably been made in the histories of the sepoy mutiny, but none of them, not even the celebrated Sepoy War of Sir John Kaye, tackles this problem in detail. As a result, the student of the mutiny at best gets from these histories disjointed, and often inadequately explained, impressions about the role of the Sikhs during the great upheaval. This thesis accordingly sets out to analyze the effects of the sepoy mutiny on the history of the Sikhs. I have examined four main aspects of the problem: (1) the annexation of the Sikh kingdom by the British in 1849 and conditions in the Punjab between annexation and the outbreak of the rebellion of 1857; (2) the actual help given by the Sikhs to the British during the rebellion; (3) the motives of the Sikhs for giving their help; and (4) the rewards of the Sikhs for supporting the British during the crisis of 1857. The Sikhs established their political ascendancy in the Punjab on the ruins of the Mughal empire. During the first two decades of the 19th century most of the twelve misls or confederacies of the Sikhs were conquered and united into one kingdom by Ranjit Singh. However, the timely protection given by the British in 1809 to the Sikh chiefs of the Cis-Sutlej checked Ranjit Singh's expansionist designs beyond the Sutlej River. During his lifetime Ranjit Singh wisely remained on friendly terms with the British, but after his death the factious intrigues of his successors and the Sikh army plunged the Sikh kingdom into hostilities with the British. The defeat of the Sikhs in the wars of 1845-46 and 1848-49 resulted in the annexation of their kingdom by the British. After annexation the British showed moderation in dealing with the Sikhs and did not degrade them to the position of a landless class. Meanwhile the Sikhs, resigned to their fate, quickly adapted themselves to the new institutions which were established in the Punjab between 1849 and 1857. But the indifference of the British toward the interests of the Sikhs, and the Government's policy of extending patronage to Hindustanis, hurt both their feelings and their interests. The rebellion of 1857 provided the Sikhs with a unique opportunity to secure a change of attitudes by the British. They seized that opportunity and gave every help to the British, whose military power they believed was unchallengeable. After the suppression of the mutiny the Sikhs received generous rewards from their rulers. They were also given the one reward that would satisfy them most--British indifference gave way to British interest in their welfare. My investigation of the problem leads me to the conclusion that the outbreak of the sepoy mutiny unexpectedly ushered in brighter days for the Sikhs and laid the foundation for their future growth and strength in the Punjab. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

Note:

Minorité ethno-religieuse originaire du Nord-Ouest de l’Inde, les sikhs ont une longue histoire migratoire qui prend naissance pendant la colonisation britannique. Cette thèse s’intéresse à la manière dont les sikhs de la diaspora, et particulièrement ceux de Grande-Bretagne, ont contribué de manière décisive à définir les contours de l’identité sikhe contemporaine.Pour ce faire, nous nous intéressons à la genèse coloniale du discours identitaire dominant, développé par l’élite sikhe réformiste dans la deuxième moitié du 19e siècle, qui repose sur l’élaboration de frontières socio-culturelles rigides séparant les sikhs des non-sikhs et sur la création d’une communauté unie et distincte, dotée d’un univers symbolique autonome, de rites propres et d’une histoire particulière. Cette notion normative d’une communauté sikhe monolithique s'est trouvée consolidée en Grande-Bretagne sous l'effet des politiques publiques et de décennies de mobilisations communautaires pour le turban. La politique sikhe de reconnaissance repose sur l’idée d'exceptionnalisme des sikhs, de leur contribution importante à la société britannique et d’une relation historique privilégiée avec les anciens colonisateurs. Cependant, l’étude de la pluralité des appartenances socio-religieuses – en particulier sectaires et de caste - révèle la diversité des manières d’être sikh en diaspora et bat en brèche les prétentions du leadership à parler au nom de « la » communauté sikhe. / As an ethno-religious minority originating from the North-West of India, the Sikhs have a long migration history, starting during the colonial period. This dissertation focuses on how the Sikh diaspora, particularly British Sikhs, have decisively shaped contemporary Sikh identity narratives.Sikh dominant identity narrative was shaped in a dialogic relation between the colonizers and Sikh intellectual elite in the 19th century and it relied on rigid boundaries between Sikhs and non-Sikhs. Sikh reformists strived to create a unified and distinct community, with its own rituals, symbols and collective memory. This normative definition of a homogeneous community has been strengthened in post-colonial Britain, under the influence of public policies towards immigrant minorities and of Sikh politics of recognition. The latter draws on the idea that Sikhs represent a model minority, entertaining a priviliged relationship with the British.However, the diversity of socio-religious practices and belonging observed during fieldwork highlights that, despite Sikh leadership claims to represent a homogenous community, there remains a plurality of ways to be a diasporic Sikh.