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New Cambridge History of India #2.3
The New Cambridge History of India, Volume 2, Part 3: The Sikhs of the Punjab
This important new contribution to the New Cambridge History of India examines chronologically the entire span of Sikh history from prehistoric times to the present day. In an introductory chapter, Professor Grewal surveys the changing pattern of human settlements in the Punjab until the fifteenth century and the emergence of the Punjabi language as the basis of regional articulation. Subsequent chapters explore the life and beliefs of Guru Nanak--the founder of Sikhism; the extension and modification of his ideas by his successors; the increasing number and composition of their followers and the development of Sikh self identity. Professor Grewal also analyzes the emergence of Sikhism in relation to the changing historical situation of Turko-Afghan rule, the Mughal empire and its disintegration, British rule and independence.
308 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 22, 2022
Couldn't get through it. It's disjointed and does not read well, at least in my view.
March 25, 2014
J.S. Grewal's book is a highly-focused history of the Sikhs in the north of the Indian subcontinent. Only an essential minimum of detail concerning things such as developments in Sikh religious doctrine or the sociopolitics of India as a whole is given in order to contextualize the main narrative, which is that of the Sikhs' growth into a self-conscious nation.
The introductory chapters discuss the fundamental tenets of the Sikh religion as expounded by its founder, Guru Nanak, and the multi-cultural and multi-religious society in which it arose, in the Punjab on the eve of Mughal rule. From there, the book follows the evolution of the Sikhs from a relatively small religious community to a significant political body, and increasingly toward an aspiring nation-state. The internal and external actors behind the shifting fortunes of the Sikh community from the 16th century to the end of the 20th are located chronologically, geographically, and politically as they enter and leave the stage of history. Much attention is also given to demographic questions, as the cross-cutting identities of religion, caste, political alignment, language, and livelihood are shown to be major factors in the Sikh community's internal and external relations throughout its history.
Grewal's book is both a thorough sociopolitical history of the Sikh community of northern India, and an interesting case-study in ethnogenesis.
The introductory chapters discuss the fundamental tenets of the Sikh religion as expounded by its founder, Guru Nanak, and the multi-cultural and multi-religious society in which it arose, in the Punjab on the eve of Mughal rule. From there, the book follows the evolution of the Sikhs from a relatively small religious community to a significant political body, and increasingly toward an aspiring nation-state. The internal and external actors behind the shifting fortunes of the Sikh community from the 16th century to the end of the 20th are located chronologically, geographically, and politically as they enter and leave the stage of history. Much attention is also given to demographic questions, as the cross-cutting identities of religion, caste, political alignment, language, and livelihood are shown to be major factors in the Sikh community's internal and external relations throughout its history.
Grewal's book is both a thorough sociopolitical history of the Sikh community of northern India, and an interesting case-study in ethnogenesis.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews