Sikh Diasporic Approaches in Anti-Caste Activism

Abstract

This article looks at how Sikh ethical principles are informing how Sikh diasporic activists approach contemporary social justice issues around caste abolition. The article is divided into three different sections that look at the history of castes within Punjab and the North American Sikh diaspora, especially in the late 19th c. but with some reference to contemporary history. Later, I utilized my interviews with Sikh activists who have supported recent legislation in Seattle and California around caste discrimination. Finally, the article discusses the work of a Sikh queer collective, a group I have worked with over a period of two years, to examine how notions of queerness and anti-caste politics within Sikh principles might be a path forward towards caste abolition.

Keywords

• Sikh ethics
• anti-caste activism
• Dalit
• diasporic Sikh activism