A Sea of Orange

About the Book

Sikhism, a religion of twenty million people with its heartland in India, is one of the least-understood traditions in the world. The state of Punjab in which the majority of Sikhs live has been the site of a serious conflict in the past two decades. This book contains ten essays on Sikhs, Hindus, human rights, and violence, illuminating one of the dark corners of the world we live in. From a grass-roots perspective rooted in anthropology to issues of ethics and international politics, the author guides her readers through the complex maze that is contemporary India and the Indian diaspora. Anyone interested in conflicts going on today around religious and ethnic identities will find this collection invaluable – the first time available in book form.

About the Author

Cynthia Mahmood is internationally recognized as a foremost authority on the Sikh movement for an independent state. She is Senior Fellow at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, U.S.A., and is the author of two previous books about the Sikhs: Fighting for Faith and Nation (1996) and The Guru’s Gift (2000). Mahmood is a specialist on the anthropology of conflict, and directs a book series at the University of Pennsylvania Press on The Ethnography of Political Violence. She acts as consultant to various government agencies in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on Sikh issues. An outspoken advocate of human rights, Mahmood is known for bringing academic knowledge to the world of practical action