Charles M. Townsend

Bio: Charles M. Townsend is an academic researcher from University of California, Riverside. The author has contributed to research in topics: Identity (social science) & Kaur. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 4 publications receiving 28 citations.

Sikh Identity: an exploration of groups among Sikhs

Abstract: Sikh Identity: an exploration of groups among Sikhs Opinderjit Kaur Takhar Ashgate, 2005 215 pp., $100.00, ISBN 978-0-7546-5202-5Opinderjit Kaur Takhar's Sikh Identity begins with the question ‘Who...

‘keeping the faith alive': teaching sikh kirtan in america

Abstract: Since the large influx of Sikhs to the USA beginning with immigration reform in the 1960s, Sikhism has continued to come into view as an American religion. Throughout the USA today, Sikhs are devoting vast amounts of time and effort toward keeping continued generations of Sikh Americans connected with Sikh communities, traditions, history, and ways of being and knowing. One of the primary ways that many communities are teaching younger generations how to be Sikh in America is through teaching the performance of the Sikh sacred musical tradition, Gurbani kirtan (musical performance of the Word of the Gurus and Bhagats of Sikhism found within the Guru Granth Sahib). This article will explore observations from my field research and interviews among people who are teaching the Gurbani kirtan tradition in the USA, and their students. I will discuss how those teaching the tradition fall into several groups: organized kirtan academies, well-known kirtaniyas (Sikh sacred musicians) who hold periodic workshops, pr...

Introduction: engaging sikh texts, practices, and performances

Abstract: As an academic field, Sikh Studies has grown rapidly in the last few decades. Among the most clear markers of the flourishing of the field are the number of endowed Chairs in Sikh Studies at universities – currently eight chairs in North America – and the increasing number and frequency in recent years of scholarly conferences dedicated to Sikh Studies. On 10–12 May 2013, the Dr Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies and the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) hosted the largest academic Sikh Studies conference to date on the theme of Dialogues with(in) Sikh Studies: Texts, Practices, and Performances. This was the third major academic conference on Sikh Studies convened by the holder of the Dr JS Saini Chair, Pashaura Singh (figure 1). As a PhD Candidate in the Religious Studies Department at UCR and one of Dr Singh’s advisees, I was one of the co-organizers of the conference and helped to facilitate the three-day event with the help of other graduate students, administrative staff, and undergraduate student volunteers from the Religious Studies department. Six of the articles included in this special issue grew out of papers first presented and discussed at the conference, which were then revised, edited, and reviewed for inclusion here.

"Arabic is the language of the Muslims-that's how it was supposed to be": Exploring language and religious identity through reflective accounts from young British-born South Asians

Abstract: This study explores how a group of young British-born South Asians understood and defined their religious and linguistic identities, focusing upon the role played by heritage languages and liturgical languages and by religious socialisation. Twelve British-born South Asians were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interview transcripts were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Four superordinate themes are reported. These addressed participants’ meaning-making regarding “the sanctification of language” and the consequential suitability of “the liturgical language as a symbol of religious community”; the themes of “ethnic pride versus religious identity” and “linguistic Otherness and religious alienation” concerned potential ethno-linguistic barriers to a positive religious identity. Findings are interpreted in terms of concepts drawn from relevant identity theories and tentative recommendations are offered concerning the facilitation of positive religious and ethnic i...

Sikh Identity: an exploration of groups among Sikhs

Abstract: Sikh Identity: an exploration of groups among Sikhs Opinderjit Kaur Takhar Ashgate, 2005 215 pp., $100.00, ISBN 978-0-7546-5202-5Opinderjit Kaur Takhar's Sikh Identity begins with the question ‘Who...

Research report: Studying the religious socialization of Sikh and 'mixed-faith' youth in Britain: contexts and issues

Abstract: Against a backdrop of phases of Sikh settlement in the UK, this article provides an overview of scholarship on UK Sikh communities. Attention turns to four ethnographic studies conducted by the author, two of which focused on unambiguously Sikh communities, and two of which challenge presuppositions of the boundedness of faith communities. Of these one was a study of two historically stigmatised caste-specific Punjabi communities; the other is currently examining the religious identity formation of young people in families in which only one parent is Sikh. Pointers and questions are identified that arise from these UK studies for researchers in mainland Europe. These include methodological considerations and encouragement to contribute to debates in the sociology of religion and to take account of Sikhs' increasing appearance in creative literature.

Keeping the Faith: Reflections on religious nurture among young British Sikhs

Abstract: Although young Sikhs are regularly accused of not attending gurdwara and not being interested in Sikhism, many young Sikhs are now learning about Sikhism outside traditional religious institutions. Using data gathered as part of a research project studying the transmission of Sikhism among 18- to 30-year-old British Sikhs, this essay explores how young Sikhs are learning about Sikhism in their pre-adult life stage. Examining the influences of the family and the school environment and the various methods used in gurdwaras, this essay offers a retrospective look on the ways in which young Sikhs are nurtured and socialised into Sikhism, providing an understanding from the perspective of young Sikhs themselves about which methods actually work and why.