Past Events
Waking in Oak Creek, 2nd Showing
May 22, 2015
Prof. Nirvikar Singh showed the DVD of this title, documenting the local community’s response to the August 2012 killings at the Sikh gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and led a discussion with the audience of members of the Sikh Student Association. He also showed the DVD and led a discussion with the UCSC Police Department Citizen Academy, where the audience included students, community members and UCSC police officers.
Diasporic Religious Identity in Emerging Adulthood: The Case of British Sikhs
May 11, 2015
This talk by Dr. Jasjit Singh, Research Fellow at the University of Leeds, examined processes of religious transmission among members of minority diasporic religious communities, with a focus on British Sikhs. Using ethnographic methods including the first ever-large scale online survey of British Sikhs, the talk explored the shift which has occurred for many young South Asians in Diaspora who now identify more closely with a religious as opposed to an ethnic identity. Focusing on different arenas of religious transmission including families, religious institutions and the Internet, he examined how processes of religious socialization and familial nurture impact on identity, in particular among young people entering ‘Emerging Adulthood.’
Millennial Sikhs in a Capitalist Economy
May 8, 2015
Prof. Nirvikar Singh delivered a talk with this title at the UC Riverside Sikh Studies conference, “Living and Making Sikhi in the Diaspora: The Millennial Generation Comes of Age.” The abstract of the paper follows: “Sikh teachings emphasize hard work and individual responsibility, as well as sharing and social justice. Those teachings also speak to the fundamental limits of material wealth accumulation. This paper examines how millennial Sikhs in northern California individually and collectively address the tensions of living and thriving in a modern capitalist economy, while also living up to Sikh principles. Arguments are developed based on interviews with young Sikh entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs, as well as other ethnographic research examining individual attitudes and collective action strategies by millennial Sikhs.”
Waking in Oak Creek
May 7, 2015
Prof. Nirvikar Singh showed the DVD of this title, documenting the local community’s response to the August 2012 killings at the Sikh gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and led a discussion with the audience of members of the Sikh Student Association.
Turban Tying Day
April 29, 2015
This event was the second time that the UCSC Sikh Student Association held a Turban Day at the Quarry Plaza, a central location on campus. The students tied turbans on dozens of students, staff and faculty members, and shared information about the Sikh faith and community with all those who stopped by. The Aurora Chair funds helped purchase the turban cloth for the event.
Journey Through India 2015
April 18, 2015
For the first time, UCSC women students organized a Giddha (Women’s Punjabi Folk Dance) group to complement the long-standing Bhangra group. Both groups performed at the annual Indian Cultural Show. Aurora Chair funds were used to provide partial support for costume purchases for the Giddha group.
Sikh Foundation Conference on Sikh Education in the 21st Century
March 28, 2015
Prof. Nirvikar Singh was scheduled to be a presenter in the session on Sikh Studies in Universities. He was unable to attend, but prepared a recorded presentation on the Sikh and Punjabi Studies program at UCSC. This presentation can be viewed online at http://www.sikhfoundation.org/ourevents/sikheducationinthe21stcentury/
Sikh Rappers & Social Justice
March 12, 2015
Sikh hiphop artists Baagi and Hoodini (Gunjiv Singh and Jagmeet Singh) explored facets of the immigrant and minority experience in multicultural America, in an evening of music, poetry and collective discussion. The evening touched on topics such as race relations and social inequalities in today’s complex society.
Mutiny in Oregon: Early Twentieth Century East Indian Radicals and the Birth of the Ghadar Party
March 3, 2015
In her talk, Johanna Ogden, an independent historian and activist from Oregon who served as consulting historian for Astoria’s Ghadar Party Centenary Commemoration, resituated the birth of that radical movement in Astoria, Oregon. This work was based on new archival research. The Hindustani Association of the Pacific Coast, better known as the Ghadar Party, was a gamechanging development in Indian history. Ghadarites called for and attempted the overthrow of British colonial rule in India during WWI, seeking a castefree, secular and independent Indian nation. Ghadar was overwhelmingly initiated by and composed of Sikh laborers from the North American West and became a worldwide movement drawn from people of all castes and religions. [SSAC]
Diaspora and Memory — Sikhs and 1984
December 1, 2014
This was a second event marking the 30th anniversary of 1984 (see above). The events of 1984 and subsequent years continue to cast a shadow on Sikhs across the globe. Prof. Gurinder Singh Mann, Kundan Kaur Kapany Chair in Sikh Studies at UC Santa Barbara and Prof. Pashaura Singh, Dr. Jasbir Singh Saini Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies at UC Riverside, served as panelists, sharing their thoughts on, and experiences of these events, as well as the continuing implications for the global Sikh community. The panel and discussion were moderated by Prof. Nirvikar Singh. [SSAC]
Sikh Studies & Post-Modern Orientalism
October 29, 2014
Prof. Nirvikar Singh gave a talk exploring how Sikh Studies in the North American academy is engaging with intellectual currents that can broadly be termed “postmodern.” More specifically, he offered a critique of the asymmetrical privileging of Western “post modern” scholarship on Sikhs against the Sikh community’s own selfunderstanding. The talk was followed by an interactive discussion with participation of a wide crosssection of UCSC faculty.
1984 – Beyond the Trauma
October 18, 2014
Thirty years ago saw the culmination of increasing social conflict in Punjab, a Sikh majority state in India. In 1984, the government of India launched a military operation on the Sikhs’ central religious site, aimed at militants but also ensnaring innocent pilgrims. Later that year, Sikh bodyguards assassinated India’s Prime Minister in retribution. This was followed by pogroms against Sikhs all over India, and a decade of violence and repression in Punjab. The perpetrators of state violence have not been brought to justice, and the events of 1984 and after continue to cast a shadow on the people of the region. 1 Prof. Rahuldeep Singh Gill of California Lutheran University (CLU) spoke about this history, and how to move forward positively, but without forgetting the past, especially in the context of the Sikh diaspora in the US. Prof. Gill is Director of the Center for Equality and Justice at CLU. The talk was followed by an interactive discussion, moderated by Prof. Nirvikar Singh. Prof. Singh was visiting India in 1984 and experienced some of the events described above. [SSAC and UCSC Sikh Student Association]
Sikh Studies Conference at UC Santa Barbara
May 16, 2014
In May 2014, Prof. Nirvikar Singh presented a summary and analysis of the Sikh and Punjabi Studies program at UCSC since inception, at the Sikh Studies conference held at UC Santa Barbara. A revised version of his presentation will appear in the Journal of Punjab Studies. Dr. Inderjit Kaur also chaired a session at the conference.
South Asia by the Bay: Feminist Interventions on Gender and South Asia (Graduate Conference)
May 2, 2014
In May 2014, Prof. Nirvikar Singh designated funds from the Aurora Chair to support presenters in Sikh Studies at the South Asia by the Bay graduate student conference at UCSC, organized by Prof. Anjali Arondekar. Prof. Singh served as chair and discussant of a session, including papers with Sikh Studies topics.
UCSC's First Turban Day
May 2, 2014
In May 2014, the UCSC Sikh Student Association (SSA) organized the campus’s first ever Turban day. The event was held in the central plaza of the campus. Dozens of students, staff and faculty participated, having turbans tied on them by SSA volunteers.
Sikh Siyasat - Conference on Sri Guru Grant Sahib at Sikh Gurdwara San Jose on Sept 14
September 8, 2013
UC Santa Cruz's Dr. Inderjit Kaur participated is to participate in a conference on Sri Guru Granth Sahib at the Sikh Gurdwara of San Jose. The theme of the conference is "Message and Relevance Around the World Today".
Dialogues with(in) Sikh Studies: Texts, Practices, and Performances
May 10, 2013
Professor Singh was a featured panelist at UC Riverside's 3rd Sikh Studies Conference: Dialogues with(in) Sikh Studies: Texts, Practices, and Performances.
3rd Sikh Studies Conference: Dialogues with(in) Sikh Studies: Texts, Practices, and Performances, UC Riverside
May 10, 2013
This conference brought together all the Sikh Studies Chairs in North America, as well as prominent community members. Professor Nirvikar Singh presented his paper, “Truthful Living: Sikh Thought and Practice in Economic Life.” Dr. Inderjit Kaur presented her paper, “Shabad Kirtan: Aesthetics and Affect, Text and Performance.” Professor Singh was interviewed for, and featured in several news stories on the conference. Organized by the Dr. Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies and the Department of Religious Studies at UC Riverside.
Press Enterprise - UC RIVERSIDE: Sikh studies conference examines everyday practices
May 9, 2013
UC Riverside held the largest Sikh Studies conference of its kind in North America. It featured panelists, from the United States, India, Enlgand, and Canada - including UC Santa Cruz's very own Professor Nirvikar Singh.
International Sikh Educational Conference: One Granth, One Panth and Sikh Rehat Maryada
May 5, 2013
This conference brought together prominent Sikh Studies scholars from Punjab with Bay Area community members. Professor Nirvikar Singh and Dr. Inderjit Kaur were the two main local scholars invited to present at the conference.
(Re-)Building Punjab: Political Economy, Society and Values Conference
March 29, 2013
This multi- and inter-disciplinary international conference explored the complex relations between the Sikh community and its real and imagined homeland of Punjab. Individual sessions focused on the historical roots of Punjab’s contemporary society, the state of its politics and political culture, possibilities of economic improvement, challenges of environmental degradation, the role of diaspora philanthropy, and ways in which Punjab’s situation is expressed in and shaped by music and film as forms of cultural production. Participants were prominent academics from North America, Europe and Punjab. Prof. Nirvikar Singh and Dr. Inderjit Kaur co-organized the conference, with Dr. Kaur presenting a paper and Prof. Singh serving as a discussant for another paper. The conference dinner acknowledged the contributions to the field of Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany and Prof. Gurinder Singh Mann (UCSB).
UCSC to hold international conference on Sikh and Punjabi Studies, March 29-30
March 22, 2013
The UC Santa Cruz Sikh and Punjabi Studies program will present an international conference titled "(Re-)Building Punjab: Political Economy, Society and Values" on campus, March 29-30.
Sikh Foundation - Sikh Women’s Conference at University of California Santa Cruz
February 17, 2013
Pummy Dhanjal-Sehmbey gives an overview on the Sikh Women’s Conference at UCSC. She features the voices of students at UCSC who helped organize and/or attended the event in order to convey the importance of events such as these hold for students.
The Sikh: The Feminine, The Activist
January 26, 2013
Sikhi is like an ocean, boundless and all encompassing, composed of many shades and hues. During this conference, we will explore two of these colors. First, we will delve into the feminine aspect of spirituality and how it is characterized by the words of the Sikh Gurus, and the importance of women in Sikh tradition. Secondly, we will look at activism and social justice, understanding how they have been integral to Sikh spirituality from the beginning, and discussing their relevance today.
Learning from the Oak Creek Wisconsin Tragedy: Sikhs and Pluralism in America
November 15, 2012
This event sought to further our understanding of issues of religious and social tolerance and the idea/ideal of America as a pluralistic society in the 21st century, through reflection on the fatal shooting at a Sikh gurdwara in Wisconsin in August 2012, including the possible motivation of the shooter. The Dean of Humanities, the Director of the Institute for Humanities Research, community members, and the Aurora Chair holder all participated.
UCSC event to reflect on cultural tolerance in wake of tragic shooting at Sikh Temple
November 09, 2012
Last August, a lone gunman opened fire at a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six people and wounding four others. On November 15, UCSC will present a panel discussion and dinner to explore what can be learned from the Wisconsin tragedy.
Sikh and Punjabi Studies: Achievements and New Directions
November 10, 2011
"In this inaugural conference for the Sikh and Punjabi Studies program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, leading and emerging scholars took stock of the state of the field and its future direction, in the areas of their expertise. Sessions covered history, philosophy, language and literature, political economy, musicology and contemporary society."
UCSC Presents Inaugural Sikh and Punjabi Studies Conference Nov. 10-12
October 31, 2011
On November 10-12, leading scholars from the United States, Canada, and England will come together for the inaugural conference in Sikh and Punjabi Studies at UC Santa Cruz.
