Panth, Kismet, Dharm te Qaum: continuity and change in four dimensions of Punjabi religion

In: Punjabi Identity in a Global Context. New Delhi, Oxford University Press 1999 . ISBN 0-19-564864-1

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Abstract

Against the background of ever greater levels of ethnic polarization between all three of Punjab's major religious traditions, and a resulting tendency for each tradition to be represented in essentialistic terms, this paper sets out to show that the historical roots of these tendencies are extremely shallow. Developing a counter-view, the paper suggests that such politically-driven understandings of the religious scene in Punjab are strongly Euro-centric in character, and argues that a greater sensitivity to the logic of popular ideas and practices, together with an awareness of the different levels at which Punjabi religion operates reveals a much higher level of overlap between the three traditions than current discourse normally allows for.