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Gurdwaras and community-building among British Sikhs

2006; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 15; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/09584930600955267

1469-364X

Gurharpal Singh,

Migration, Refugees, and Integration

Abstract This paper examines the role of gurdwaras (temples) in community-building among British Sikhs since the early twentieth century. Like the Punjab, Britain has witnessed the emergence of a modern gurdwara movement that now embraces almost 250 institutions, and has succeeded in establishing distinct sacred spaces in the inner-city, some of which resemble Golden Temple-like structures. These institutions increasingly reflect the internal and denominational diversity within Sikhism, a characteristic that has contributed significantly to their growth. The paper examines the patterns of growth and geographical distribution of gurdwaras, as well as the resources they are able to generate. The functions of these institutions, it is argued, are changing as result of pressure to adapt to both new conditions of faith in the inner-city and generational changes within the Sikh community itself. Additionally, in a post-9/11 and post-7/7 world where minority religious institutions are now easily associated with transnational terrorism, gurdwaras, like Muslim mosques and Hindu mandirs (temples), face new challenges of close state monitoring.