caste; dalit; diaspora; Punjab; religious conversion
摘要
Drawing upon original ethnographic research among Punjabi dalit communities within the United Kingdom (UK) and India, this paper examines post-transnational migration religious conversion from Sikhism to neo-Buddhism and Christianity. It assesses the extent to which this process is simultaneously one of dalit assertion and resistance to caste-based oppression, thereby facilitating social change within the contemporary Punjabi transnational community. While it is generally accepted that, despite the Ambedkar movement, the volume of dalit religious conversion away from Sikhism within Punjab has been very low, there is very little analysis of the meanings and implications of religious conversion from Sikhism among communities of UK Punjabi dalits. I specifically evaluate whether such religious conversion is part of a transnational 'autonomous anticaste tradition' (Hardtmann 2009). I argue that the Punjabi dalit transnational community studied are simultaneously involved in both caste reform, a continued engagement with the caste order in order to assert an enhanced status within it, and anti-caste practices. Ultimately, Punjabi post-transnational migration religious conversion, as a mechanism for Punjabi dalit empowerment and social mobility, is ineffective.
目次
Punjabi Transnationalism and the UK 225 Punjabi Caste and Transnationalism 225 Punjabi Dalit Assertion and Religious Conversion 227 Research Sites and Process 230 Realisation of Caste and Religious Conversion 231 Anti-Caste Transnationalism? 233 The View from Punjab: Continuing Izzat and Caste Reform 237 Conclusion 241 Notes 244 References 244
