Punjab Reconsidered

This book considers the notion of 'Punjabiyat', and examines if there exists an 'idea of Punjab' or 'ideas of Punjab' that connects people from the region, now scattered across the globe. Deploying a variety of methodological and disciplinary techniques, the volume discusses changing contours and notions of territoriality, migrations, and diaspora; language and literary cultures; colonial experience; religious identities; Sikh studies and identity; cultural and religious syncretism; and middle class and urban spaces; conversion and politics of difference. Through a careful analyses of aspects of Punjabi social, cultural, political, and religious history, it explores areas like mentalities and social texts, symbols and cultural representations, elite and popular cultures, social codes and their performance and reception. This book will interest scholars, students, and researchers of history, particularly modern India, as well as sociology and cultural studies.