Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age

<p><em>Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age</em> examines the construction of a Sikh national identity in post-colonial India and the diaspora and explores the reasons for the failure of the movement for an independent Sikh state: <em>Khalistan</em>. Based on a decade of research it is argued that the failure of the movement to bring about a sovereign Sikh state should not be interpreted as resulting from the weakness of the ‘communal’ ties which bind members of the Sikh ‘nation’ together but points to the transformation of national identity under conditions of globalization. Globalization is perceived to have severed the link between nation and state and through the proliferation and development of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) has facilitated the articulation of a<em> transnational</em> ‘diasporic’ Sikh identity. It is argued that this ‘diasporic’ identity potentially challenges the conventional narratives of international relations and makes the imagination of a post-Westphalian community possible. Theoretically innovative and interdisciplinary in approach it will be primarily of interest to students of South Asian studies political science and international relations as well as to many others trying to come to terms with the continued importance of religious and cultural identities in times of rapid political economic social and cultural change.</p>