Randip ji
You began this sub-forum asking posters to provide serious scholarship on the subject of sects, cults and groups within Sikhism.
Given the requirement of serious scholarship, the task becomes quite difficult, if seeking this information on the world wide web.
Here are some immediately evident difficulties:
1. The study of Sikh identity has occupied the talents of a broad spectrum of scholars, both Sikh and non-Sikh; however those scholars writing in the tradition of Hugh McLeod outnumber those from other traditions. I am thinking of scholars who write about Sikh Identity.
2. Other traditions of scholarship on the subject are more often writing in journals that make them less accessible, and copies of their works demand fees.
3. There are sites for many sects that do not qualify as scholarship but rather as informational and public relations websites, promoting the aims and goals of the sect, group, etc.
3. Other kinds of resources include ongoing conversations in Internet forums by individuals who more often that not do not qualify as scholars.
So my mood has been gloomy. But I have been noticing more and more information. I want to start posting some of these resources, but as you know from today's email conversations, sometimes all that will be possible is a bibliography of scholarly writings. Sometimes these postings will be links to Google books, where by the way, there is a large and growing collection of electronic/digital versions of scholarly work.
The postings will be dry and interesting perhaps only to those with a strong geek streak.
You began this sub-forum asking posters to provide serious scholarship on the subject of sects, cults and groups within Sikhism.
Given the requirement of serious scholarship, the task becomes quite difficult, if seeking this information on the world wide web.
Here are some immediately evident difficulties:
1. The study of Sikh identity has occupied the talents of a broad spectrum of scholars, both Sikh and non-Sikh; however those scholars writing in the tradition of Hugh McLeod outnumber those from other traditions. I am thinking of scholars who write about Sikh Identity.
2. Other traditions of scholarship on the subject are more often writing in journals that make them less accessible, and copies of their works demand fees.
3. There are sites for many sects that do not qualify as scholarship but rather as informational and public relations websites, promoting the aims and goals of the sect, group, etc.
3. Other kinds of resources include ongoing conversations in Internet forums by individuals who more often that not do not qualify as scholars.
So my mood has been gloomy. But I have been noticing more and more information. I want to start posting some of these resources, but as you know from today's email conversations, sometimes all that will be possible is a bibliography of scholarly writings. Sometimes these postings will be links to Google books, where by the way, there is a large and growing collection of electronic/digital versions of scholarly work.
The postings will be dry and interesting perhaps only to those with a strong geek streak.
