The past few years have seen an inordinate amount of unseemly controversy on the so-called “Sikh Chairs” in North America. It is a controversy in which scholars from both sides of the ocean have joined. Several articles have appeared in the Sikh press and the issue has been dissected and discussed at various symposia and conferences). This article examines various aspects of this issue, identifies problem areas and explores possible solutions.
Sikhs are now no longer limited to Punjab. They are a prominent presence all over the globe from Australia to Zimbabwe. They are certainly not new to the United States and Canada; the earliest Sikh settlements in North America are almost 100 years old. Sikhs had a hand not only in opening of the west but also in construction of the Panama Canal. The first Asian to be. Elected to the U.S, Congress was Dalip Singh Sand; they are cab Drivers and farmers, doctors, engineers, lawyers and research scientists, even members of the Armed Services.
‘The Sikhs are undoubtedly a prosperous, highly visible presence in the complex mosaic that is North America, but their religion is little known to their neighbors. Also the immigrant Sikhs now have spawned a new generation of children growing up outside Punjab, away from the land of their religious roots, often isolated from their own community, Neither these young Sikhs nor their new neighbors in North America know much about Sikhism, the religion or its philosophy.
__ As the Sikh community in North America has blossomed, it has realized that in order to become an integral part of their newly adopted homeland it is necessary that they interact with their neighbors, 1 learn the culture and traditions of their neighbors, and in tum satisfy their neighbors’ curiosity about the: Sikh culture and heritage, This would naturally foster research on Sikhism, Thus studying the Sikhs the history and the teachings of Sikhism is important to the community and its future.
Sikhism, like many other major religions is a religion of book, Ergo, 10 support Sikh Studies at universities and institutions of higher learning, whether North American or otherwise, would be natural, Over the past decade therefore, fund raisers were held, appeals were made at gurdwaras, or diary Sikhs and their friends chipped in To establish and support “Sikh Studies Programs” at several Universities. Now some years later, these programs have run into problems. Charges and countercharges in the form of impassioned articles and books have been published by supporters and opponents of the research published by the occupants of these academic positions, A couple of examples will clearly illustrate the extent of bitterness generated by this controversy.
‘The first Chair of Punjabi language and literature and Sikh Studies was started at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1987and Dr. Harjot Oberoi was appointed to head the program, Dr. Oberoi has since published several research articles and a major book “Construction of Religious Boundaries” published by Oxford University Press. New Delhi. 1994. This book has stirred up a storm of controversy and attracted considerable academic criticism. Even more disturbing is the factual many prominent Sikh scholars feel that Dr. Oberoi has not worked towards fulfilling the agreement signed by the Sikh community and the University when the Chair was founded: Mohinder Singh Gosal, President of the Federation of Sikh Societies of Canada, signatory to the contract between the Sikhs and UBC has charged that the very appointment of Oberoi was part of an anti-Sikh conspiracy. There was a two year delay in the appointment of Oberoi, a fresh Ph.D., who was appointed despite the Jack of significant teaching or research experience.
A group of Sikh scholars from India visited UBC in 1994 and met Dr. Oberoi. According to them the publications of Dr. Oberoi, as 10 their content, tone and tenor, were visibly incompatible with the objectives of the Chair occupied by him, and grossly unfair to Sikh sensibilities.
“The second case that of Dr. Pashaura Singh, further exemplifies the problem’s with Sikh Chairs as presently constituted.
Dr. Pashaura Singh was awarded a Ph.D. by the University of Toronto in 1991 on the basis of a doctoral thesis entitled “The Text and Meaning of the Adi Granth. According to many Sikh scholars the thesis was academically unsound; constituting an attack on the theological and linguistic originality of the Sikh sacred scriptures, numerous critical reviews of the thesis appeared, as did some in Pashaura Singh’s defence. This controversial, inexperienced scholar was appointed to head the newly created program at the University of Michigan even though he Tater appeared at the Akal Takht to recant some of his research. ‘The extent of bitterness and lack of trust can be further gauged by the fact that two recent doctoral theses at the University of Toronto and Columbia University were sealed at the request of their authors; they remain unavailable for critical examination by other scholars. Clearly the North American Sikh community feels frustrated, disappointed and betrayed.
Though we have cited two examples above, in this article our purpose is not to single out academic programs but 10 identify and analyze problem areas so that solutions can be explored.
Simply stated, problems surfaced because of a clear discrepancy in the expectations of the Sikh community when these “Chairs” were established and what the community felt the Universities had delivered, before one can examine the gap between expectations and results, several questions need to be explored. Briefly we will focus on the role of a University, what to expect froma scholar appointed to occupy a ‘position at a University, and what management model can satisfy the community, the scholar and the University. ‘To be continued
Article extracted from this publication >> February 14, 1996
