Sikh Ethnonationalism and the Political Economy of Punjab

The ‘Punjab problem’–one of the great puzzles of recent social science literature–has intrigued social scientists since the 1980s. Why had one of the richest provinces in the Indian republic, with a fairly progressive population, turned into a political disaster with horrific consequences for civil society? This study by Shinder Purewal seeks to reopen the debate by raising two basic questions: how did the Sikh ethnonationalist movement develop? And why did it pursue separatism on the basis of the right to self-determination? Purewal offers some answers to these questions, using the political economy approach–a welcome departure from the many chauvinistic interpretations of Sikh ethnicity and the Punjab problem. He shows how the interests of Sikh capitalist farmers have largely shaped post-independence Sikh politics. The rise of Sikh ethnonationalism is seen as the result of the struggle for domination between Sikh capitalist farmers (Kulaks) who sought to establish their complete hegemony over the home market of Punjab, and the largely Hindu industrial bourgeoisie of India. The political economy of predatory capitalism, which came in the forms of border struggling and urban mafia, produced a dangerous alliance of ‘Godmen’ and ‘Goons’ in the state. The militant brigades of the Godmen-Goons nexus became handy tools for political forces to launch frontal attacks on each other. The disparities created by the Green Revolution added further fuel to the fire. The illiterate and semi-literate Sikh youth of marginal and landless families were lured to a life of instant riches by the criminal underworld. However, the massive use of the state’s coercive apparatus, along with the inability of the Kulaks to make any headway to broaden their front among Sikhs of all classes, eliminated the force of the Kulak brigades in the early 1990s, bringing an end to the violent outburst of Sikh ethnonationalism. Written in a reader-friendly narrative style, Sikh Ethnonationalism and the Political Economy of Punjab will go a long way to demystify the Punjab puzzle and will interest political scientists, economists, political sociologists, historians, journalists, policy makers and all those interested in Sikh and Punjab studies.