Sikhs in Britain: The Making of a Community

In this, the first comprehensive study of the Sikh community in Britain, Gurharpal Singh and Darshan Singh Tatla look at how British -Sikh identity has developed from the nineteenth century to the present. At a time when much public debate centres on Muslim integration, this is a highly valuable alternative perspective on the challenges faced by another Asian community in becoming part of multicultural Britain. Using a vast amount of new source material, the authors examine the complex Anglo-Sikh relationship that led to the initial Sikh settlement and the processes of community-building around Sikh institutions such as gurdwaras. They explore the nature of British Sikh society as reflected in the performance of Sikhs in the labour markets, the changing characteristics of the Sikh family and issues of cultural trans-mission to the young. The book also provides an original account of a community transformed from the site of radical immigrant class politics to a leader of the Sikh diaspora in its search for a separate Sikh state. This is an indispensable guide for anyone interested in the evolution of contemporary British society.