The Sikhs of the Punjab: Unheard Voices of State and Guerilla Violence - Paperback

by Joyce Pettigrew (Author)

Village people in the Punjab have lived with the terror of the conflict between Sikh militants and Indian security forces since the attack on the Sikh Golden Temple in 1984. In this remarkable book, a courageous anthropologist who knows the region intimately presents a very human portrait of the struggle. She argues that, despite its apparent defeat, it can only be in abeyance while the root causes, which have prompted so many young Sikhs to take up arms and fight for an independent Khalistan, remain unaddressed. Through the skilful use of interviews, Dr Pettigrew takes us into the worlds of Punjabi farmers, Sikh militants, and the police commanders responsible for containing a vicious conflict whose ramifications have spilled beyond the Punjab into wider Indian politics.

Author Biography

Joyce Pettigrew is a reader in anthropology at Queen's University, Belfast.
Joyce Pettigrew is a reader in anthropology at Queen's University, Belfast.