CALL FOR PROPOSALS
9th Dr. Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies Conference
(May 9-10, 2025)
The theme of the Conference
Precarious Futures: Sikhs and Sikhi(sm) in an Uncertain World
Description and Rationale
This call for papers has two broad objectives. First, to meet the challenges of a future for Sikhs and Sikhi(sm) that promises to be volatile, precarious, and uncertain. Secondly, to develop a more nuanced understanding of the Sikh condition in a rapidly changing global political context marked by the resurgence of global right-wing populism, nativism, and fascism. For this symposium we seek experimental forms of inquiry capable of responding to these futural challenges. In addition to scholarly analyses, we welcome reflections on pedagogy, artistic practice, community organizing, autoethnographic methods, and community-based inquiry. At the same time, we seek more productive engagements with, and critical reflection on, the impact of new technologies on Sikh life-worlds, subjectivities and forms of collectivity. Panels will be organized around the following topics (but are by no means restricted to):
- Re-Envisioning the ‘Singh Sabha’ Project: If the Singh Sabha project emerged as a response to the perceived demise of Sikhi and gurmat value system in a colonial era marked by rising nationalisms in India, given the existential threat posed by Hindutva today, is it time to reconsider the Singh Sabha movement as an unfinished project? If so, what kind of movement is needed in the present-day world to address the current issues confronting the Sikh Panth at the global level?
- Sikh Philosophy, History and Literature: as younger Sikhs clamor for a more nuanced and meaningful engagement with the worlds in which they live, and given also the demand by non-Sikhs for a more sophisticated representation of Sikh thought, is it time to revive older traditions of gurmat vichar, Sikh chintan, and gurbani viakhia? How can Sikh thought connect to global streams of thought such as world philosophies, postcolonial thought? What are its responses to contemporary issues in technology and ethics; How can gurmat concepts be effectively used in approaches to mental health. What lessons can be learnt from Sikh history?
- Diaspora and Migration: The past decade and particularly the last few years have seen a massive exodus of young Sikhs from Punjab and new settlement around the world. Burgeoning Sikh diasporas have also become imbricated in geopolitical issues such as recent events in Canada and the UK. This panel will look at the emergence of new and potentially volatile tensions between ‘homeland’ and ‘diaspora’.
- Art, Activism, Resistance: new generations of talented Sikhs and Punjabis are at the forefront of endeavors to renew forms of artistic activism including visual art, music, literature and film. This set of panels examines the diverse ways in which Sikh and Punjabi artists have sought to confront precarity and systemic crisis in different parts of the world. How has Sikh art sought new and enduring forms of community building? How have artists reinterpreted Sikhi and Sikh thought to reimagine and reinvigorate new political horizons, protest movements, and social movements? How can Sikh community participate in their efforts to promote the field of Sikh Studies in the Western universities?
For the upcoming 9th Sikh Studies Conference at UC Riverside, this call for proposals invites original research papers, activist reflections, and creative engagements (visual art, poetry, etc.) that considers any of these major topics or touches upon the themes listed above. We invite scholars, educators, artists, activists, Sikh community leaders and others working in Sikh Studies, Asian American Studies, North American Studies, Social Work, Public Health, Education, Ethnic Studies, Women and Gender Studies and other fields to reflect on these pivotal questions.
We invite graduate students to present their current research in this conference.
We also invite community representatives to participate in this conference and provide the community perspective.
Timelines / Participation
This in-person conference will be mainly a two-day event of panel discussions, and will be held on Friday through Saturday, May 9-10, 2025, at the newly built Interdisciplinary Building (Symposium INTS 1113) of the Riverside Campus of the University of California. The abstracts of the papers are due by November 30, 2024, and complete papers by April 15, 2025. Please note that working drafts of the papers (10 pages in length) are required by the organizers to ensure your participation in the conference and for distribution among the participants. Attendance at the conference will be open to graduate students, faculty, and the public.
Budget
The details of the budget will be worked out once we have a clear idea of who will be coming to participate in the conference. The Saini Chair of Sikh Studies in the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) will provide funding to cover local expenses, board and lodging, and travel funding to those participants whose proposals have been accepted. Graduate students are encouraged to make their travel arrangements through the Graduate Student Association (GSA) of their institutions.
Outcomes
There are two main outcomes of this project, one immediate and quantitative, and the other long term and qualitative.
The immediate outcome of this conference will be the publication of selected papers emerging from the conference on a coherent theme. The task of soliciting contributions from among the participants and organizing and editing the volume will fall to the chair of the organizing committee of this conference. It is anticipated that an academic publishing house will be receptive to publish such a volume.
In the long term, this conference will contribute to the on-going process of community building between individual scholars as well as across institutions. This conference provides an opportunity for scholars with otherwise disparate fields of inquiry in Sikh Studies / South Asian Studies to enter conversation with one another. This conference represents a first step in developing further collaborative projects among scholars of UCR and other universities around the world.
Organizers
Chair of the Organizing Committee:
Professor Pashaura Singh
E-mail: psingh@ucr.eduMembers:
Kanwarpreet Singh
E-mail: ksing100@ucr.eduHunter Hill
E-mail: hhill014@ucr.eduJasvir Kaur Rababan
E-mail: jraba014@ucr.eduFadime Apaydin
E-mail: fapay002@ucr.eduAbhinandan Banerjee
E-mail: abane040@ucr.eduEvent Coordinator:
Geneva Amador
E-mail: geneva.amador@ucr.edu