Sikhism and the Sikhs - (Bibliographies and Indexes in Religious Studies) Annotated by Priya Rai (Hardcover)

About the Book

Although extensive literature on Sikhs and Sikhism is available, only two book-length bibliographies, neither of which is annotated, have been published on the subject. Recent events in Punjab and growing Sikh migration have increased interest in Sikh studies, necessitating a bibliography that would capture the burgeoning literature of the past few years. The present work, Sikhism and the Sikhs: An Annotated Bibliography, includes books and journal articles published in English since 1965 that are either devoted exclusively to or have an emphasis on Sikhism and the Sikhs. Each entry is annotated.

The bibliography is divided into seven chapters: general works, Sikh history, works on the Sikh gurus, Sikh scriptures and philosophy, Sikh politics and social-economic conditions, Sikhs abroad, and source materials. Within each chapter, entries are listed by author or issuing agency and include complete bibliographic information. The entries are numbered consecutively throughout the book. The work is completed by author, title, and subject index. This unique and comprehensive bibliography will be an important addition to the reference collections of academic, public, and special libraries.

Book Synopsis

Although extensive literature on Sikhs and Sikhism is available, only two book-length bibliographies, neither of which is annotated, have been published on the subject. Recent events in Punjab and growing Sikh migration have increased interest in Sikh studies, necessitating a bibliography that would capture the burgeoning literature of the past few years. The present work, Sikhism and the Sikhs: An Annotated Bibliography, includes books and journal articles published in English since 1965 that are either devoted exclusively to or have an emphasis on Sikhism and the Sikhs. Each entry is annotated.

The bibliography is divided into seven chapters: general works, Sikh history, works on the Sikh gurus, Sikh scriptures and philosophy, Sikh politics and social-economic conditions, Sikhs abroad, and source materials. Within each chapter, entries are listed by author or issuing agency and include complete bibliographic information. The entries are numbered consecutively throughout the book. The work is completed by author, title, and subject index. This unique and comprehensive bibliography will be an important addition to the reference collections of academic, public, and special libraries.

Review Quotes

?. . . This compilation is clearly arranged, and the annotations are adequately descriptive. It does bring bibliographical works on Sikhism up-to-date and thoroughly covers anglophone scholarly literature on the subject. A particularly strong point is the treatment of Sikhism abroad and of the related socio-economic conditions. Accordingly, libraries and scholars interested in these areas will certainly want to acquire a copy of Sikhism and the Sikhs. . . .?-Australian Library Review

?Priya Muhar Rai is head of the Technical Processing Department at Elihu Burritt Library of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut. This is an 1150-item bibliography of Sikhs and Sikhism. The entries are arranged under seven headings: general works, Sikh history, works on the Sikh gurus, Sikh scriptures and philosophy, Sikh politics and social-economic conditions, Sikhs abroad, and source materials. Each entry is briefly annotated, and there are author, title, and subject indices.?-Theology Digest

?This annotated bibliography of 1,150 entries, divided into 7 chapters, includes books and journal articles published in English since 1965. Most of the annotations are concise and to the point. Individual author, title, and subject indexes provide excellent access to the numbered entries. The author states in her introduction that recent political events in Punjab and increased interest in Sikh migration abroad have necessitated this publication for recent literature not included in Ganda Singh's A Selected Bibliography of the Sikhs and Sikhism (Amritsar, 1965) or Hakam Singh's Sikhs Studies: A Classified Bibliography of Printed Books in English (Patiala, 1982). Only 152 of Rai's 1,150 entries, however, deal with these two topics, and only 19 of these are journal articles. Indeed, the entire bibliography contains articles from only four journals, the Journal of Religious Studies and three others devoted exclusively to Sikhism. The relatively few entries on recent events and the small number of journals covered calls somewhat into question the author's rationale for the need for this bibliography. Although the primary subject of this series is religion, additional articles from a wider selection of journals, especially for the chapters dealing with social science topics, would have increased considerably the value on the Sikhs. Recommended for university libraries with substantial South Asian collections.?-Choice

." . . This compilation is clearly arranged, and the annotations are adequately descriptive. It does bring bibliographical works on Sikhism up-to-date and thoroughly covers anglophone scholarly literature on the subject. A particularly strong point is the treatment of Sikhism abroad and of the related socio-economic conditions. Accordingly, libraries and scholars interested in these areas will certainly want to acquire a copy of Sikhism and the Sikhs. . . ."-Australian Library Review

"Priya Muhar Rai is head of the Technical Processing Department at Elihu Burritt Library of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut. This is an 1150-item bibliography of Sikhs and Sikhism. The entries are arranged under seven headings: general works, Sikh history, works on the Sikh gurus, Sikh scriptures and philosophy, Sikh politics and social-economic conditions, Sikhs abroad, and source materials. Each entry is briefly annotated, and there are author, title, and subject indices."-Theology Digest

"This annotated bibliography of 1,150 entries, divided into 7 chapters, includes books and journal articles published in English since 1965. Most of the annotations are concise and to the point. Individual author, title, and subject indexes provide excellent access to the numbered entries. The author states in her introduction that recent political events in Punjab and increased interest in Sikh migration abroad have necessitated this publication for recent literature not included in Ganda Singh's A Selected Bibliography of the Sikhs and Sikhism (Amritsar, 1965) or Hakam Singh's Sikhs Studies: A Classified Bibliography of Printed Books in English (Patiala, 1982). Only 152 of Rai's 1,150 entries, however, deal with these two topics, and only 19 of these are journal articles. Indeed, the entire bibliography contains articles from only four journals, the Journal of Religious Studies and three others devoted exclusively to Sikhism. The relatively few entries on recent events and the small number of journals covered calls somewhat into question the author's rationale for the need for this bibliography. Although the primary subject of this series is religion, additional articles from a wider selection of journals, especially for the chapters dealing with social science topics, would have increased considerably the value on the Sikhs. Recommended for university libraries with substantial South Asian collections."-Choice

About the Author

PRIYA MUHAR RAI is head of the Technical Processing Department at Elihu Burritt Library of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut.